


Closer

by Agnes Joseph (alray)



Category: Highlander: The Series, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Background Luke Garroway/Jocelyn Fray, Background Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago, Crossover, M/M, post episode 1.13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-08-11 00:28:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 50,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7867915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alray/pseuds/Agnes%20Joseph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was finally happening. They'd spent months searching for Jace, with only stolen moments here and there, whenever Magnus was around to help them with a spell or follow up on a clue. Now that Jace was back and recovering in the infirmary ward and Valentine seemed to have vanished off the face of the planet, they could finally pick up where they'd left off at the wedding. So, of course, knowing Alec's luck, he shouldn't have been at all surprised when the buzzer to Magnus' loft rang just as they were about to leave on their long anticipated date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closer

In hindsight, it made perfect sense this would happen. Nothing up to this point had been easy; why did he think this would be any different?

And yet, here Alec stood, decked out in his finest clothes... well, in his least black clothes; Izzy had insisted. Magnus looked even more stunning, but that went without saying. Alec had almost lost the ability to breathe when he walked into the loft and saw Magnus in his vintage purple jacket and tight black pants, dark purple highlights in his hair, ready for their first official date.

It was finally happening. They'd spent months searching for Jace, with only stolen moments here and there, whenever Magnus was around to help them with a spell or follow up on a clue. Now that Jace was back and recovering in the infirmary ward and Valentine seemed to have vanished off the face of the planet, they could finally pick up where they'd left off at the wedding. So, of course, knowing Alec's luck, he shouldn't have been at all surprised when the buzzer to Magnus' loft rang just as they were about to leave on their long anticipated date.

Magnus threw his eyes heavenward with a dramatic flourish that made Alec smile. "You have got to be kidding me," he muttered, before he strode to the intercom and pushed the button with a little more force than was strictly necessary. "I don't care what your emergency is, I'm closed for the evening."

An English-accented voice drifted up from the tinny speaker. "Hello, old friend."

Intrigued, Alec watched as Magnus' eyes grew wide.

"Me..." Magnus caught himself in a way that immediately drew Alec's attention. "Adam? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Can I come up? I'll explain."

To Magnus' credit, he cast a look towards Alec as if asking for permission, but Alec knew what the reply would be. "It's OK," he assured with a smile. "We waited this long. We can wait a little longer."

Magnus threw him a grateful smile. "This will take five minutes." His lips twisted in an annoyed grimace. "Ten, at most.

"You've got five minutes," he said into the intercom, as he pushed the button that opened the door of the building. "I hate myself," he muttered, opening his front door.

The words made Alec wince. He knew all about self-hatred. He was only just starting to unlearn it. Though he doubted Magnus meant what he said, maybe there was a grain of truth in his words.

Before he could think too much about it the door opened and a tall, slender man walked in. He looked somewhere in his mid thirties, though Alec knew looks could be deceiving. His hazel eyes sparkled, but his smile was the strangest mix between confidence and apprehension Alec had ever seen. He was clearly unsure of his welcome as he swung the duffel bag he was carrying across his shoulder onto the floor and looked at Magnus with a smirk. Wow, Alec didn't think anyone could out-smirk Magnus; this man possibly could.

"Planning on staying?" Magnus asked, eyeing the duffel bag on the floor with suspicion. "I told you, you have five minutes."

The man, Adam apparently, ignored Magnus' icy tone completely. "Good to see you too, Magnus." Smiling, he walked towards Magnus; Alec's eyes grew wide as Adam leant in and planted a kiss on both of Magnus' cheeks. How... European.

Maybe it was the greeting, but Magnus' expression slowly softened. His lips were still twisted in annoyance, but there was warmth in his eyes now as he looked at the other man. "This had better be good, Adam."

Those words seemed to tell Adam he was clearly imposing, because he looked up and finally noticed Alec's presence. He looked between him and Magnus, taking in the way they were both dressed up. "I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?" The smirk on his face made it all too clear he knew exactly what.

Alec forced down the blush threatening to take over his face. If he wanted to give this thing with Magnus a chance, he was going to have to unlearn years of self-conditioning. Now was as good a time to start as any.

Before Alec could think of anything to say, Adam walked towards him, hand extended, a charming smile lighting up his face. "Adam Pierson."

He took the hand and shook it, eyeing the other man with caution. "Alec Lightwood."

His eyes taking in the rune on Alec's neck, Adam sputtered and threw an exasperated look back at Magnus. "Really, Magnus? A shadowhunter  _ and  _ a Lightwood?"

"Fuck off," Magnus muttered under his breath.

Adam shook his head. "You really are a glutton for punishment, aren't you?"

Alec crossed his arms and took up a defensive stance. "I  _ am _ right here, you know?"

"Four minutes," Magnus announced, cutting off any further speculation on his relationship with Alec. "Make it count, Adam."

As he turned back to Magnus, Adam's expression was apologetic for the first time since his arrival. "Actually," he began, his voice hesitant, "I'm not alone."

The suspicious look that had started to form on Magnus' face morphed into one of sheer outrage. "Don't tell me you brought the brooding Scotsman to my door?" he demanded, his tone chilly in its flatness.

The brooding Scotsman? Alec wondered. Was that something like the Flying Dutchman?

Amusement had crept back onto Adam's face. "Actually, he's the reason we're here."

With an exasperated sigh, Magnus threw his arms up. "I'm a good person." His lips twisted when Adam cleared his throat, causing Alec to snort out a laugh he quickly tried to smother. "For the most part," Magnus conceded. "What did I do to deserve this?" He shook his head as he yelled: "Come in, MacLeod," at the door.

Sure enough, seconds later a second man entered; clearly he'd been standing just outside the door waiting for his cue to make his presence known. He was about the same height as Adam, both just slightly taller than Magnus, but this one was much broader. For some reason they were both wearing trench coats. The broader one's brown eyes could not hide the animosity as they locked with Magnus'.

"Bane," was his only acknowledgement, along with a curt nod of his head.

There wasn't any more warmth in Magnus' expression as he took in this new arrival. "MacLeod," was all he said. He grunted when he saw MacLeod drop his own duffel onto the floor. It looked like they were staying for a while.

Magnus granted MacLeod one last withering look before he turned back to Adam. "It's a good thing your Quickening is so powerful it drowned out his. I would never have opened the door if I'd known he was here."

Quickening? Alec had no idea what that meant. Were these two Warlocks, like Magnus? He couldn't see any Warlock marks, but of course they could be glamoured, like Magnus' were right now.

"We would have just waited until you'd come out," Adam said, amusement in both his voice and expression now.

"We could have holed up here," Magnus said, winking at Alec suggestively. "I could have summoned the food up from the restaurant. It would have been fun."

Used to his suggestive teasing, Alec simply rolled his eyes. "Magnus," he admonished.

Magnus shrugged, a smile still tugging at his lips.

That brought MacLeod's attention to Alec. "A shadowhunter?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, yes," Magnus sighed. "We've been over this, MacLeod. Catch up." Waving a hand between them impatiently, he introduced them to each other. "Alec Lightwood. Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod." The mocking tone in his voice at the last words of that introduction made MacLeod glare at Magnus, who was, predictably, completely unimpressed or even contrite. "And now you have precisely one minute left to tell us about this oh, so urgent emergency of yours."

Adam's amused demeanour instantly sobered. "Does the name Leraje mean anything to you?"

Something happened to Magnus' face Alec had never seen before. He wasn't sure he'd call it anger; that word wasn't strong enough for the emotion twisted around Magnus' mouth and eyes. A muscle was twitching in his cheek and for just a split second his cat eyes flashed, that in itself an indicator of his emotional state. His gaze shooting between Adam and MacLeod, he waved a distracted hand behind him in Alec's direction.

"Alexander," he said and Alec startled at the pain he heard in Magnus' voice. "Let's go." The look he shot between the other two left no room for objection or argument. "Alec and I have a dinner reservation. You can stay here and help yourselves to whatever's in my fridge."

Never taking his eyes off Adam and MacLeod, he blindly groped behind him; realising what he was looking for, Alec took a step towards Magnus until he could wrap his hand around Alec's wrist. Despite the frost that had suddenly descended on the room, Alec couldn't quite hold back the hot shiver running along his body; the contact felt strangely intimate.

Without another word Magnus moved to leave, pulling a confused Alec behind him.

"Bane!" MacLeod called out, but whatever protest he'd been about to utter died on his lips at Magnus' withering look.

"Whatever he's done, I'm sure it can wait an hour or two," Magnus all but hissed. "By that time Alec and I will have had some dinner and for your sakes, I  _ might _ have calmed down enough for a civilized conversation." His gaze shot between the two again and this time Alec was not at all surprised to see the cat eyes return. Maybe he should be used to it by now, but that sharp thrill ran through him again with a vengeance. Maybe he never would be.

"Don't touch anything!" Magnus warned, an upturned finger waving between them, finally settling on MacLeod. "Especially you!"

With those words he pulled Alec out of the loft and slammed the door shut behind them.

\---

The food was as amazing as Magnus had promised it would be, but this date wasn't shaping out quite as Alec had expected. The conversation wasn't stilted as such, but whatever had happened back at the loft was clearly still upsetting Magnus more than he was willing to let on. Relatively speaking, they hadn't known each other for that long, and yet Alec could tell when Magnus was trying to mask just how hurt he was.

Guilt passed through Alec as he considered how he had been the source of that hurt once too often. Intellectually he knew he'd been working through so many issues of his own. He'd been suppressing his true self for almost as long as he could remember. Finding himself attracted to a man was confusing enough, but to have that attention returned had kicked all those years of self-preservation into overdrive. All he could do was try to make up for previous mistakes and make sure no one got to hurt Magnus like that again.

The way Adam and MacLeod had hurt him with a simple name. Leraje. It rang a vague bell. He remembered something in the archives about a demon called Leraje, though he couldn't quite recall the details. Was that why it upset Magnus so much to hear that name? Because of his own demon blood?

Whatever it was, there was no way Alec was going to ask Magnus about it. He'd rather sit there all evening in awkward silence than add to Magnus' pain.

Maybe he could ask a less dangerous question. Maybe it would lead to one of Magnus' outlandish tales that always brought a sparkle to his eyes.

"So, who were those two?" he asked as casually as possible; he tore a piece of the bread Magnus had told him was called injera and used it to scoop up some of the spicy lamb stew. He chewed on it thoughtfully as he awaited his answer.

Magnus seemed to visibly snap out of whatever reverie he'd sunk into. His eyes were settled on Alec a fraction too long before recognition seemed to set in. Then he smiled sadly.

"Alexander, I'm so sorry," he said, his voice sad. "This is not the date I had envisioned."

Alec waved it away with what he hoped looked like nonchalance. "Their arrival has clearly rattled you."

Magnus sighed. "Adam and I go back a long way." He chuckled suddenly; Alec wondered what kind of memory had just been triggered. It looked like a happy one. "A long long way," he added with emphasis. So clearly at least a few centuries. "MacLeod I've only known for a few decades." The twist around his mouth told Alec that even those few decades had been too long for him.

So they were obviously immortal. "Are they warlocks?" Alec asked.

"No." Magnus' attention finally seemed to turn to the delicious food he'd ignored for most of the evening. He tore off a piece of the injera and sampled the lamb stew himself. "I'm not sure the Institute even keeps track of them. They fall outside of the Downworld realm, so they don't really consider them a concern, or even a threat for that matter. And Immortals pretty much keep to themselves anyway."

"So they are immortal?"

"Oh yes, but unlike us Warlocks, Immortals don't have powers. Unless you count their Quickening as powers." His face twisted with derision. "Which I don't."

The look on Magnus' face made Alec momentarily grin. "Their Quickening?" He'd mentioned that word before, Alec recalled.

Magnus rolled his eyes. "It's all very sordid and macabre. They go around chopping each other's heads off and then absorb their life power." He grinned when Alec gaped at him. "Adam is very,  _ very _ old. That's why his Quickening is much stronger than that whippersnapper MacLeod's."

Alec was starting to get to know that tone in Magnus' voice and it suddenly dawned on him why he and MacLeod didn't get along. "Is MacLeod older than you?" he ventured with a teasing smile.

The scandalized look on Magnus' face, along with the sputtering he emitted was just the reaction he'd hoped for. If Magnus was outraged, he wasn't dwelling on sad stuff. "How dare you..." His voice trailed off at the challenging look Alec leveled at him. "Just a few decades," he finally admitted, in a subdued voice, "which is very annoying."

Alec could just imagine. For someone as old and experienced, not to mention powerful, as Magnus, it must be very difficult to be the youngest in the room.

"I like Adam tremendously," Magnus confessed, a smile tugging at his lips. "It's too bad he and MacLeod come as a package deal these days."

Ah...

Magnus waggled his eyebrows at Alec meaningfully, which he wasn't sure he should answer with a blush or a chortle. He settled for a grin in the end. "So they're together? As in a couple?" He still couldn't help feeling slightly hot in embarrassment, but at least he'd got the question out without stuttering.

Magnus shrugged. "Who knows? They're always on and off again. Can't live with each other; can't live without. Guess they're in their on again phase this decade."

Something painful tugged at Alec's heart. He lowered his eyes as he muttered, unable to keep the sadness out of his voice, "At least they're both immortal."

Sympathy shining in his dark eyes, Magnus tilted his head knowingly. "Oh, sweetheart," he sighed. Alec wasn't sure how to react to that endearment, but he liked how it made him feel. Warm and happy, and a little confused at the same time. "I tried a relationship with an immortal to save myself from a broken heart." He added, with an exaggerated roll of his eyes and a shake of his shoulders that made Alec grin, "And we all know how  _ that _ worked out."

Magnus' expression sobered after a moment. His hand reached out, but hesitated just above Alec's hand on the table. It made something warm burst inside Alec's chest. Despite all the rumours or his father's warnings about Magnus' reputation as a 'lothario', Alec was once again reminded that Magnus had never so much as laid a finger on him without permission. Turning his hand on the table so his palm was up, he wordlessly conveyed to Magnus that his touch was welcome. His chest hurt a little more still, as Magnus' face lit up and he laced their fingers together. The warmth where their hands touched spread across Alec's body like wildfire; it was scary, but exhilarating.

"Like I said," Magnus said softly, his voice warm and affectionate, a focal point for Alec's quickly scattering thoughts, "I can't predict the future, Alexander. All we can do is savour the here and now."

Returning Magnus' smile, Alec looked into intensely blazing cat eyes and squeezed his fingers.

\---

Magnus could have portaled them back to his loft, but they decided to walk home instead. It would seem Magnus wasn't overly eager to get back to the two Immortals waiting for him, and to be honest, neither was Alec. After all the mayhem with Valentine and Jace's disappearance, it was nice to pretend a little longer they were just like everyone else, just two people returning home from a pleasant night out. Most importantly, the  _ joie de vivre _ seemed to have returned to every part of Magnus. He was currently telling a story that involved a historical figure he couldn't possibly have met, but he told it with such animation and conviction you were almost tempted to believe it.

Listening to Magnus' tall tale, Alec shook his head and laughed joyously. In the months following the wedding he'd started to grow accustomed to the idea that he could have this, that he was allowed to feel this, but to actually be here, walking next to Magnus, letting his voice wash over him, he was suddenly overcome with a joy that he wasn't ready to give up just yet. It was a warm July night, but even if it had been bitterly cold, he wouldn't have felt it, not with the steady warmth radiating from Magnus walking beside him.

Overcome with a sudden boldness, he let his fingers brush against the back of Magnus' hand. Magnus' tale halted for just a split second, but he quickly recovered, seemingly unaffected by the fleeting touch. Taking that as a challenge, and more importantly, wanting to feel that sudden rush again, Alec grabbed hold of Magnus' hand and threaded their fingers together. That did it. Magnus sputtered to a halt, his eyes widening as he gazed at Alec in surprise.

"Go on," Alec said, grinning back at him in happy victory, "I'm dying to find out how you eluded both Julius Caesar and Cleopatra."

His eyes wide in wonder, Magnus looked from the hands locked together between them, his sparkly purple nail polish stark against Alec's pale skin, to Alec's shit-eating grin. "Alexander," he started, but Alec didn't let him get out whatever version of  _ you never cease to amaze me _ it would be this time. He didn't need reassure every time he did something for himself. Not anymore.

"No, go on," he spoke over Magnus.

Magnus grinned and gripped Alec's hand just a little tighter. "Well, it was a good thing I'd sent word to Marc Anthony..." and that was when Alec let out the biggest burst of laughter of his entire life. He wasn't sure exactly why it was funny; he just felt light and happier than he'd ever been.

Too soon they reached Magnus' building. It was almost with regret that they walked up the steps to the front door, where Magnus turned to look at Alec. As he was standing one step below Magnus, they were actually at eye level. He liked it quite a lot. It gave Alec the opportunity to appreciate the view, from the glitter in Magnus' eyeshadow to his soft, small smile; his shoulders swayed gently in that graceful, mesmerizing way of his.

Unable to tear his gaze away from the intense look in Magnus' eyes, his hands started fidgeting with the lapels of Magnus' jacket, smoothing down the soft fabric over and over. His mind flashed back to the day of the wedding, when he had thrown all caution to the wind and had just gone for it, grabbed this stunning man by the lapels and kissed him in front of everyone. He was mentally gathering up the courage to do it again when Magnus spoke, his voice soft.

"I'd invite you up, but..."

He left the rest hanging, but yeah, Alec knew that was impossible with the two Immortals waiting there. "Yeah," he whispered, his voice suddenly coming out hoarse. "Not a lot of privacy." He grimaced. "Though anyone could pass up the street and see us here."

Magnus snapped his fingers. "There," he said, his eyes never leaving Alec's. "No one can see us now."

That never failed to be a turn-on. With a low growl, Alec pulled Magnus towards him, all hesitation gone as he smashed their mouths together.

They'd kissed before, but never like this. This wasn't about getting a point across or tearing down walls he himself had built. This wasn't a quick peck on the lips between frantic meetings and search parties. This was something he wanted, something he was taking for himself. In that way he was more deliberate about what he was doing, about what he was feeling. He took in every detail: how soft Magnus' lips felt against his, the sounds made by their lips sliding against each other, how loud their breathing sounded to his ears.

He grew bolder and parted Magnus' lips with his tongue. A strange sound erupted from Magnus like Alec had never heard before and suddenly there was Magnus' tongue and Alec stopped thinking altogether, carried away by sensation alone. From there it only felt natural to slide his arms around Magnus' waist and pull him even closer. Almost as if that was the cue Magnus had been waiting for, he let out a soft sigh, as his hands slid across Alec's shoulders and into his hair. Time seemed to stop right there, all of Alec's being focused on the soft lips against his, the tongue languidly chasing his, the fingers tugging at his hair.

They parted, but it was only for a second before their lips found each other again and again, as if they were drawn together by some magnetic force. When they finally did manage to tear themselves away from each other, Alec, slightly weak from the best kiss in his life, but still needing to be close, rested his forehead against Magnus'.

"Wow," was the very eloquent response that came out of him.

Magnus chuckled, but he sounded as breathless as Alec was. "Wow, indeed."

He looked as dazed as Alec felt and that was something that still took his breath away. That he, a stuttering virgin, barely out of the closet, could get overwhelmed by a single kiss only made sense. But here was Magnus, over three hundred years old and as breathless as Alec was from something as simple as a kiss.

His forehead still pressed against Alec's, fingers playing with his hair, Magnus whispered, his voice husky with a need Alec didn't dare to name, "Now I really wish I could invite you up."

Something akin to an electrical current ran along the length of Alec's body. He wasn't entirely sure he was ready for anything in the naked department, but boy, he  _ wanted _ it. "Yeah," he replied weakly.

Magnus emitted a regretful sigh; the sound brought Alec out of the mist that had gathered around his brain. Slowly he straightened, though his eyes never left Magnus. He knew there was a dopey grin plastered across his face, but he didn't care, especially not with Magnus smiling at him with such affection and yes, a sense of wonder that never failed to fill him with awe. What was it that Magnus saw when he looked at Alec like that? He'd always wondered, but maybe now he was starting to understand.

"So yeah," he said again. Now the endorphins were starting to ebb away, the awkwardness known as Alec Lightwood was back in full force. "Should probably be getting home."

That soft smile still hadn't lifted from Magnus' lips. "I could open up a portal to the Institute."

Alec waved it away. "Naw. The walk will do me good." Clear his head, for one thing. "Besides," he added, "if Izzy saw me like this..." He waved a hand indicating all of him, from the way he knew his messy hair looked even messier from Magnus' fingers to the dopy grin he couldn't seem to chase off his face no matter how hard he tried. "I'd never hear the end of it." He pointed a finger up to the sky towards Magnus' loft. "Give me a call if there's anything I can do to help with the Immortals."

"Will do," Magnus promised.

Alec couldn't help himself. He leaned in for another kiss, though he cut this one short before they could get carried away again and spent all night making out on the front step. Drawing Magnus' lower lip between his teeth as they parted, he forced himself to turn and start walking away. It only took two steps before his resolve shattered and he turned back for one final look. Walking backwards, he waved at Magnus, who was still gazing after him with a love-sick grin on his face.

===

The sense of euphoria Magnus felt as he unlocked his front door died a quick death when he walked into the loft and was confronted with the sight in front of him. Two useless wastes of Immortal space were sprawled on his couch, beer bottles scattered around them, watching something on TV. At least, Magnus supposed, he should be grateful Methos had taken off his shoes before he put his feet up on Magnus' pristine white coffee table.

When he heard Magnus come in, Methos looked up at him with a mischievous grin. "Did young Alec  _ get off _ all right?" he asked, his voice dripping with innuendo.

"Shut up!" Magnus snapped, as he kicked Methos' feet off his coffee table. Standing in front of the television, blocking their view, he crossed his arms and gazed them down. "Please tell me you didn't come to me with your Leraje problem because of who my father is."

An evil glint in his eye, MacLeod smirked up at him. "Well, you're the only one we know who is literal demon spawn."

That was it. Magnus lifted his hand, a ball of magic gathering in his palm, ready to throw both of them as far from him as possible on this miserable planet, but Methos quickly jumped to his feet and rushed towards him. A sympathetic look in his eyes, his hand curled around Magnus', closing it into a fist, effectively cutting off his magic. He gave Magnus a quick, reassuring smile before he turned on MacLeod.

"Could you two not do this just this once? We've wasted enough time as it is, without all this petty squabbling."

Magnus' lips twisted, as he glared at an equally resistant-looking MacLeod. "I'm not promising anything."

For his part, MacLeod sank further into the couch with a huff. "So much for calming down enough to conduct a civilized conversation."

"You, shut up!" Methos pointed a warning finger at MacLeod. "And you," he added, turning the same stern tone on Magnus. "Sit down!"

Pouting in irritation, Magnus did as told, and sank into the chair facing the couch.

That accomplished, Methos blew out a sigh and returned to his seat at MacLeod's side. "Why do I always feel like a kindergarten teacher when I'm around you two?"

Magnus refrained from sticking out his tongue at MacLeod, thus proving Methos right. "So get to the point," he said, fixing Methos with a pointed stare. "Which I believe is Leraje, for some unfathomable reason."

A pensive look across his face, Methos took a pull off his beer bottle before he turned back to Magnus. "I know you don't want to meddle in the lives of Mundanes, but even you must have noticed a strange escalation in world affairs in the last few months." Magnus shrugged, not wanting to concede the point, so Methos continued. "Excessive outbursts of violence across the world, rampant xenophobia and bigotry. Not even to mention this farce of an election cycle right here in the States."

"And you're saying Leraje is behind it all." Though he could see Methos' point, he couldn't keep the skepticism out of his voice. He'd lived long enough to know mankind didn't need any demonic influence to be vile.

"We've seen him," MacLeod stated and that finally made Magnus give him his full attention. "He possesses people, uses them to do his bidding, then leaves their bodies an empty husk, drained of all life energy." The way his voice wavered and his eyes lowered to the beer bottle in his hand told Magnus one of the victims had probably been an acquaintance of Mac's. For the first time since the Immortals had walked into his loft Magnus felt an inkling of sympathy towards him. Nobody deserved to watch a friend being used like that.

"It certainly matches his modus operandi," he said, his voice instantly much milder. He nodded once at MacLeod in acknowledgement of his loss and turned back to Methos. "Someone must have summoned him. Someone with a lot of power." Definitely not a Mundane.

Methos nodded. "Look, Magnus, I'm not going to lie to you. We did come to you because of your demonic connections."

Magnus had to turn his face away to keep the hurt he was feeling hidden from the Immortals watching him. That was the only thing he ever was to people: a demon. The thought of Alec just a few minutes ago, kissing him like he was something worth cherishing, his beautiful hazel eyes alight with warmth as he looked at Magnus did a lot to melt away the ice that had threatened to slip around his heart again.

"But," Methos continued, his voice suddenly soft with affection, and Magnus looked at him startled, "you're also the most powerful Warlock we know."

"It's true," MacLeod added reluctantly; seeing how much it hurt MacLeod's dignity to admit as much instantly brought back Magnus' good humour.

He sank back in his chair with a smug smirk twisting his lips. "Yes, I am."

MacLeod rolled his eyes and muttered something about the size of his ego but that only added to Magnus' amusement.

"If we're to defeat this demon, we must first find out who summoned him." With plans already forming in his head, Magnus moved to the liquor cabinet; he always did his best thinking with a drink in his hand. He poured out a glass of whiskey, turned around to offer something to the others, but frowned instead when he noticed all the beer bottles littering the loft. With a quick snap of his fingers, the bottles were gone.

"You have to teach me how to do that," Methos said, grinning.

"Yeah," MacLeod agreed, "might get him to actually do some cleaning up around the place."

The gentle teasing made Methos kick MacLeod's leg with his socked foot. Sipping his whiskey, Magnus shook his head at their antics, but quickly got them back on topic.

"I'll ask around among my fellow Warlocks." He considered his next words carefully. "It might be a good idea to involve the Institute. They've got an extensive archive..." His voice trailed off as he looked at two identical sets of incredulous eyes. "What?" he asked, wincing when he heard how defensive he sounded. "The current leaders aren't so bad. In fact you've already met the active head..."

He fell into his chair with an indignant air when Methos and MacLeod both burst out laughing. It took a moment before he got over the mortification, but finally he joined them with a light chuckle. "Fine, fine," he admitted, "I might be a little biased."

"I never thought I'd see the day," Methos said, still struggling to contain his laughter, "when Magnus Bane teams up with effing Shadowhunters."

"Yes, well," Magnus countered, still slightly miffed, "I never thought the great and powerful Methos would ever trust another Immortal with his head, and yet, here we both are."

There was something strangely sweet and intimate in the look shared between Methos and MacLeod. Despite all his teasing, he did sometimes envy them for what they had. He thought back on the conversation he'd had with Alexander, and he had meant it. To Camille, being Immortal meant never falling in love. Duncan and Methos were living proof it wasn't necessarily true; you could have someone to love for the rest of your immortal life.

He shook himself out of those morbid thoughts. He wouldn't trade what he had with Alec for centuries he could have had with Camille. And they were only starting out. Who knew how many more years they would be given. With that thought, he took a deep breath and rose to his feet.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm calling it a night. I'll ask around about Leraje in the morning. For now there's a Shadowhunter I've got to meet in my dreams." And his evening with Alec had definitely provided him with plenty of fodder for happy dreams.

MacLeod and Methos too rose to their feet. "We were hoping we could bunk here..." Methos started carefully.

As if the two duffel bags sitting by his door hadn't told Magnus as much. With a roll of his eyes, he snapped his fingers. "There," he said, "I've just added a spare room. And I made it sound-proof. I don't need to hear what you two get up to." Scrunching up his nose in disgust, he let an exaggerated shudder roll across his body.

Methos grinned, as he went to pick up his bag. "At least we don't rob any cradles, like some people we could mention."

"He is  _ way _ over eighteen," he felt the need to defend himself.

Methos' mocking expression slipped away when he got closer to Magnus. "We're only teasing, Magnus," he said with a sincerity that took him completely by surprise. "We're really happy for you. After Camille..." Pulling a face, Magnus waved a quick hand to make him stop talking about her. "We just want to see you happy." He looked up towards MacLeod for confirmation.

When Magnus followed his gaze, he saw MacLeod give a half-hearted shrug in agreement. "See?" Methos grinned. "Mac agrees."

And with a warm pat on Magnus' shoulder, Methos gathered their bags and led MacLeod to the newly added spare room, leaving a flabbergasted Magnus staring after them.

\---

It had become a habit between Alexander and him to text each other before they went to bed. Once he was settled in his sleep attire, lounging against the pillows, Magnus unlocked his phone; he smiled with warmth at the text message he'd known would be waiting for him.

_ Had a great time 2night _ , Alec had sent. It made Magnus grin at his phone. Never in his dreams would he have expected to be so charmed by someone using text speak.  _ Almost wsh we didn't hav 2 say goodbye, cuz that kiss... OK, wow. _

Something warm settling in his chest, Magnus tapped out his reply.  _ I certainly second that wow. You... _ He stopped typing. What was he about to say? You never cease to amaze me? Alec had already made it clear he could stop doing that any time. You take my breath away? Whoa, there, Magnus, he told himself. Way to scare him off. You are very dear to me? He chuckled. He wasn't wooing an eighteenth century maiden. I want to climb you like a tree? True, but definitely inappropriate.

In the end he typed:  _ hope you got home all right _ and hit send before he changed his mind. He didn't necessarily expect any reply - it was pretty late - but he didn't even get a chance to put his phone on his nightstand before it chimed.

_ I lookd up Leraje in the Institute's archives, _ the message read. Magnus shook his head in wonder. Of course he had. He'd just heard the name in passing, but it had stuck and in the time it had taken Magnus to talk to the two Immortals, Alec's innate curiosity had led him to do some research. His admiration, his pride in Alexander Lightwood just kept growing every day.  _ There's somthin weird bout this demon. Did U know he takes form in the shape of an archer? _

His phone almost slipping out of his hand, Magnus gasped in shock. He wanted to hit himself. How could that have slipped his mind?  _ Yes _ , he sent back,  _ a handsome archer _ , followed by a smiley face. He could sense where Alec was going with this and he didn't like it one bit. There was no way he was allowing those two Immortals to put Alec in danger.  _ But it doesn't mean anything, Alexander, _ he quickly added.

_I'm jst saying, Magnus_ , came the next reply, _that it's a werd coincidence._ _And if there's som way I cn hlp..._

_B_ _y doing what?_ He didn't mean to sound dismissive - he knew Alec was only trying to help - but there was a nagging fear in the back of his head growing heavier by the second. It had to be a coincidence. It _had_ to be.

_ I don't kno... _ came the hesitant reply. Magnus didn't have to see Alec to know he was trailing a hand down the back of his head in uncertain confusion; it broke Magnus' heart. He never wanted to contribute to Alec's insecurities; all he ever wanted to give him was... He shied away from the word love. He wanted to use it so badly, but he stuck with support and self-confidence for now.

He had to steer his lovely Alexander back onto cheerier subjects.  _ I'd much rather talk about where we'll be going on our next date _ , he sent quickly.  _ Seeing how the last one was so... enjoyable. _ Immortal interruption notwithstanding, he added in his head with a grimace.

The reply took a little longer in coming this time, and Magnus was just starting to worry he'd upset Alec with the sudden change in topic, when his phone chimed. His heart took an unsettling lurch, sign that he was already way deeper in over his head than he was willing to admit, as he read the message.

_ Uh... mabe we cld stay in nxt time? _

Magnus' mouth literally fell open in surprise. Was Alec flirting? Via text? It was almost too good to be true. Maybe that was why it had taken him a little longer to reply; maybe he'd been working up the nerve to send it.

His gut twisting pleasantly at the thought, Magnus sank a little deeper into the pillows, making himself comfortable.  _ What do you have in mind? _

_ I quite liked your suggestion 2day... U know, bout conjuring up food frm the restaurnt & eating it at the loft _ .

Well, well... Magnus grinned as he tapped his next message.  _ Where we can enjoy the privacy? In eating the food, of course... _

The next message was simply:  _ yeah, the food... _

Magnus' grin grew ever larger.  _ Maybe finger food again? We could feed each other. _ He was definitely not thinking about licking food off Alexander's fingers. Definitely not.

Apparently neither was Alec, because his next message was almost instant and riddled with more spelling errors than before.  _ Yeah... dat sounds gud... rlly gud. Fngers & food. _

_ It could get messy _ , Magnus sent.  _ Please _ , he added in his head.

Alec's next reply cut off Magnus' breath completely. He slid further down the bed until he was on his back, gasping at the message.  _ I hear you love a dirty lair. _

_ Oh, Alexander _ , he thought,  _ you're playing a dangerous game. _ In fact, Magnus' hand had already slipped under his top; it was just resting on his stomach, not doing anything else, but still.

Time to nip this in the bud. As much as he wanted to explore how far Alec was willing to take this, there was no way he was going to up the ante on Alec's sexual awareness via text.

When...  _ if _ they eventually went there, Magnus definitely wanted to get his hands... well, everywhere actually. His hand had already started to slide up his chest in a subconscious caress thinking about it, and no. He quickly called his hand to a resolute halt.

How to break it to Alec gently? He certainly didn't want to discourage him from future sexting.  _ That I do, _ he tapped,  _ worth investigating on our next date. _ And to cut off flirting for now:  _ Once the Immortals are on their merry way. _

_ Yeah, _ came the quick reply,  _ mabe we'll finally get a break & get... closer. _

Magnus raked a shaky hand through his hair. Alexander was going to be the death of him.  _ Soon, my dear, _ he promised.

_ Good, _ Alec replied, setting off little bursts of happiness inside Magnus' chest.  _ Good night, Magnus. _

_ Good night, my dear Alexander. _ He sent his last message, dropped his phone onto his nightstand and curled onto his side, all the while smiling like a goof. The sooner he went to sleep, the sooner he could meet Alexander in his dreams. After all, there were no rules about sexy dreams.

\---

Maybe he could blame it on his lovely date with Alexander the previous evening or the interesting dreams it had inspired, but his thoughts were so full of his pretty Shadowhunter Magnus completely forgot about his two house guests.

When he walked into his kitchen the next morning, blinking sleep out of his eyes, he took a startled step back to find MacLeod sitting at the kitchen island eating what looked like bacon and eggs. Memories of the other events of the evening came flooding back, superimposing the lovely ones of Alec.

"Good morning," he said, trying his best not to sound as grumpy as he felt. "I see you figured out how the cooker works." Heaven knew Magnus had never bothered. Why cook when you could magic up all your favourite dishes?

MacLeod looked up and practically choked on the bite of bacon he'd just taken. "Good morning," he rumbled, his eyebrows lifting as he pointedly eyed Magnus' sleep attire.

Following Mac's gaze he looked down at his pink shorts and his  _ when you play for both teams you always win _ T-shirt. If he'd remembered his guests he might have fixed his appearance before he came out, maybe thrown on a pair of silk pyjamas; after all, he had a reputation to uphold. He wasn't even wearing any makeup.

"You're always welcome to borrow my shirt," he said, casually walking towards the fridge. After all, MacLeod was prone to sleeping with both men and women as well.

"No, that's OK," Mac replied. His back to him, Magnus rolled his eyes; let him live in denial then. His next words took Magnus completely by surprise. "I think of myself more as pansexual than bi."

Spinning around, Magnus gaped at him. There was a smug grin on MacLeod' face, even as he tried to casually keep eating his breakfast. The bastard looked way too pleased with himself.

Magnus smirked. "Well, look who discovered how to use Google." Ignoring Mac's chuckle, he opened the fridge and got out a grapefruit.

"That's quite an interesting fridge you've got there," Mac pointed out.

"Yes." Magnus patted the side of his fridge lovingly. "She is darling, isn't she? A spell I found in a very old book."

"Old?" Mac asked, looking confused.

"Obviously the spell needed a few adjustments."

Further explanation was interrupted when Methos sauntered in. Wearing jeans and a simple T-shirt, he was running a towel across his hair. "There's something wrong with the guest room shower. The water is ice-cold."

Magnus shrugged. "I might have been a bit tipsy when I conjured it up. Mistakes happen." He cut his grapefruit in half and dug out a spoon before he sat down at the counter. "You've become awfully spoiled for someone who used to bathe in freezing rivers."

The snort that escaped MacLeod got him a soft tap on the head from Methos. "Precisely," he said. "I've done my share of hardship. I demand luxury in my old age."

Spooning grapefruit in his mouth, Magnus watched Methos walk to the fridge, close his eyes in concentration before opening the door and taking out a beer.

"That is not breakfast," Mac immediately objected.

Methos grinned wickedly. "Fine," he said, as he leaned down, stole a piece of bacon off MacLeod's plate and popped it in his mouth. His amused eyes locked with Mac's, he chewed the bacon with exaggerated care.

Once again, a pang of jealousy shot through Magnus' heart. Part of him wanted what they had so much; the other part was terrified of it.

He shook himself out of his thoughts. "I discovered something new about Leraje."

Interest in his eyes, Methos sat down next to Mac, twisted the cap off his bottle and flipped it in the direction of the sink. It made a soft clanging sound as it rolled to a standstill.

"Actually, it was Alec who brought it to my attention." He ignored the meaningful look both Immortals threw at him and turned his focus on MacLeod. "You say that you saw him. What did he look like?"

While he considered his answer, Mac put the last of his breakfast in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "He didn't look like anything really."

Magnus rolled his eyes. "Well, that's helpful." At Methos' stern look to hear him out, he twirled his fingers at MacLeod to continue.

"He was more mist than shape. A dark cloud that rose out of my friend's body."

"Then how do you know it was Leraje?" Magnus asked, taking another spoonful of his grapefruit.

"Because he spoke to me while he was possessing her." The shudder running along MacLeod's body looked completely involuntary. "When he left her body he took possession of one of us, an Immortal."

"We followed him here from Paris," Methos added. "When we realised where he was headed, we knew you were our best chance of defeating him."

Of course. "I hope your friend's all right," he said gently. The way MacLeod's head drooped and he angrily shoved his empty plate away from him was answer enough. "I'm sorry," Magnus offered with heartfelt sincerity.

"I'm assuming you're asking us this for a reason," Methos said, effectively drawing the attention away from MacLeod, granting him the privacy to deal with his grief.

Magnus nodded. "Alec reminded me that Leraje usually manifests himself as an archer." When he was met with two sets of bland expressions, he elaborated. "Alec is an archer." He winced in anticipation of their reaction; no doubt they would tell him to stop thinking with his dick and that this was all pure coincidence. That didn't happen, though. If anything, Methos looked intrigued.

"Is he now?" he asked, leaning towards Magnus. "And yes, you're right about Leraje manifesting as an archer." He smirked. "A handsome archer, if I remember correctly."

Magnus tried not to gloat, but not very hard. "Well, you've seen Alec..."

MacLeod simply rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, "he's very pretty."

"It is a coincidence, right?" His eyes were practically begging Methos to assure him his fears were unfounded.

Something soft appeared in Methos' expression. "It probably is, Magnus."

Not what he'd hoped to hear, but he'd take it for now. He cleaned his breakfast away with a snap of his fingers and rose to his feet. "Better start getting word out to other Warlocks, see if they've heard anything." His heart suddenly heavy, he sighed. "This is when I miss Ragnor the most."

"I was sorry to hear he passed away," Methos said, his voice subdued with sympathy. "We had some good times, didn't we?"

Magnus smiled sadly. He decided not to share the fact he sometimes still talked to Ragnor. No need for Methos and MacLeod to think he'd taken leave of his senses.

"We live for centuries, so sure of our immortality, we forget we're not invulnerable," he said softly, watching the look the other two shared at his words.

As he left them in the kitchen, a sobering thought ran through his head. He'd known Ragnor for centuries and he'd taken his death pretty hard. But Alec... He'd only known him a few months and the thought of something happening to him was already unbearable. And Alec was infinitely more mortal.

===

The day started pleasantly enough, with a phone call from Magnus. To Alec's disappointment, it wasn't to expand on their flirting of the previous night, but to keep him posted on the Immortals and the reason for their visit. Magnus confirmed they were trying to trace the demon Leraje and he was going to see if his circle of Downworlders knew anything. Alec promised he would do whatever Magnus needed from his side.

As Magnus was in a hurry to get started on his search - "The sooner it's done, the sooner I can get these two out of my hair," he said in a flirty voice that brought flutters to Alec's stomach, recalling their text conversation of a few hours ago - they didn't get a chance to talk much.

The rest of the morning Alec pretty much spent trying to escape in the opposite direction of the clickety clack sound of Izzy's heels. He loved his sister more than anything, but she could be a bit much at times, and the morning after his first date with Magnus would definitely be one of those times. It was a little after noon when his luck ran out on him and he bumped straight into her turning a corner.

"Alec," she cried, grabbing hold of his arm so he couldn't escape again, "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"And now you've found me." He couldn't keep his lack of enthusiasm out of his voice.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him expectantly. "So?"

"So?" he echoed, feigning ignorance.

She hit him hard on the arm. "Don't make me spell it out! How was your date with Magnus?"

"Fine." He hoped that would satisfy her, as he started walking again, but of course he knew there was no way in hell it would.

"Fine?" She walked beside him, trying to keep up, her shapely, but short legs scampering in her high heels. "Just fine? You've got to give me more than that,  _ mi hermano. _ "

He stopped so abruptly she almost walked into him. "Magnus had two unexpected visitors so we didn't really get much privacy. And if you're done interrogating me, those two guests of his are our latest mission, so maybe we'd do better to concentrate on that instead of my love life." He hated seeing her face fall like that, so he turned and started walking again. He just wanted to deter her from digging any deeper.

Of course he should have known that wouldn't work. Izzy was worse than a dog with a bone when she wanted something. "But you came home after twelve," she pointed out, falling in step with him again. She'd stayed up for him? "Something must have happened."

He stopped in his tracks again. "OK," he admitted, just to get her off his back. "We went to dinner, then I walked him home and then I kissed him." He'd snapped the words in a way that probably made it sound as if he were angry about the turn of events instead of thrilled, but Izzy's eyes were bright; she knew her brother better than anyone in the world.

"Oh, my god, Alec," she beamed, "that's amazing!" When his expression didn't soften, her own faltered for a moment. She grabbed his arm again. "It  _ is _ amazing, right?"

Unable to keep the smile off his face any longer, Alec sighed. "Yeah, it was. It was a really good kiss, Iz."

Her arms flew around him, hugging him tightly. "I'm so happy for you." Her voice sounded choked, as if she were crying.

Alec understood she was mostly relieved he was finally able to be himself, not because he was getting some, but it still made him feel a bit self-conscious. He hugged her briefly to him before he pushed her gently but firmly away from him.

She gazed at him with a huge smile. "So when's your next date?"

He pulled a face as he started walking towards the conference room again. "Not before we solve the problem Magnus' friends dragged him into. I'll tell all of you about it in our meeting."

When they walked into the conference room, he saw Clary was already there, but he was surprised to find Jace there as well. He looked a little worse for wear, but he nodded at Alec with a fierce look in his eyes he recognised all too well. Nothing would keep Jace from this meeting if he set his mind on it. Returning the look, Alec strode up to him and clasped their forearms together. The parabatai rune on his skin sang.

Once everyone was seated, with Alec standing at the head of the table, he got down to business. "Since it's quiet around Valentine right now, I thought we could use the downtime to help Magnus out with a problem of his." There were suppressed titters around the table, but Alec silenced them with a stern glare. "Magnus has helped us so many times with our missions. It's only fair we should return the favour." He sighed when everyone was still grinning at him. Rolling his eyes, he added, "And not just because he happens to be my boyfriend."

The happy titters were back, but they were proving to be contagious; Alec himself couldn't help grinning happily as he watched Izzy mouth:  _ I'm so proud of you. _

His boyfriend. He'd called Magnus his boyfriend. They hadn't really talked about it, but wasn't that what he was?

"OK," he said, calling them to order as he used his tablet to activate the screen in front of them. An image appeared on the screen; it showed an ancient drawing of a pale figure in green robes. He was brandishing a bow in one hand; his other nocking an arrow ready to shoot.

Alec straightened to his full height and locked his hands behind his back, switching to his head of the Institute role. "The demon we're looking for is called Leraje. He's one of the minor demons, only a Marquis in the hell realm, but no less destructive. He causes battles and disputes."

Clary was the first to state the obvious. "Alec," she said, giving him a startled look. "He's an archer."

"Magnus thinks it's a coincidence," he replied without blinking. He quickly continued before they could question Magnus' conclusion, much like Alec was doing, if he were being honest. "Magnus is checking around with his Downworlder friends. He thinks it best to focus on who summoned the demon. Leraje tends to protect his summoner and attack their enemies."

"Maybe it's a good idea to start with a list of his victims," Izzy suggested. "See if they have anything, or anyone, in common."

That was a great idea. Alec beamed at Izzy. "I'd have to ask Magnus about it."

"I could check with Simon," Clary opted.

Alec nodded at her. "I'm sure Raphael's already on Magnus' list, but it's not a bad idea to involve Simon as well."

Clary wrinkled her nose; Alec hoped she realised he wasn't being bitchy; Simon had proven his worth in the past, when he shut up for more than five seconds, that was.

"I doubt he'll be in a talkative mood," Izzy said, "but I could see if Meliorn has heard anything."

Everyone was coming together even better than Alec had hoped; he looked around the table with satisfaction "Guess that leaves me to see if Luke has heard anything."

Clary smiled at Alec happily. "Odds are good he's with my mom."

Alec returned her smile readily. Luke had barely left Jocelyn's side since Magnus had lifted the spell on her and nobody blamed him. He swiped the next image from his tablet to the screen. This one showed a man who looked like he was being struck by lightning.

"Then there's the question of the people who brought this problem to Magnus' attention. They call themselves Immortals, but they're not the same kind as Warlocks. They don't have any magical powers."

"Why have we never heard of them?" Izzy asked.

"They're neither Downworlders nor Mundane," Alec explained. "In fact, they're more like a Mundane mutation. They're immortal, but not invulnerable." He suppressed the shudder that wanted to run down his spine at the words. Sometimes he forgot the same thing was true for Magnus.

Shaking out of it, he continued. "The only way they can be killed is by decapitation."

Subdued cries of horror echoed around the room; Alec could sympathise. That was exactly how he had felt when Magnus explained it to him.

"They call it the Game. Pretty morbid name for something that is essentially Immortals challenging each other to sword fights until one of them takes the other's head and the winner absorbs the loser's life energy." He waved a hand at the picture on the screen; apparently that was what it looked like. "None of this may be relevant to the case, but I'm just giving you the heads up in case you should run into one of Magnus' guests."

"That's like twenty times you've mentioned Magnus' name in the last ten minutes," Clary said, her smile teasing.

Alec glared at her. He wanted to point out it hadn't even been ten times, but he didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

"Leave him alone, Clary." Alec would have appreciated Jace's support, if it hadn't been for the smart-ass gleam in his eyes. He was already bracing himself for whatever would come out of Jace's mouth next. "Alec can't help he's smitten." He drew the last word out and grinned evilly.

Alec merely rolled his eyes as he watched Clary and Jace smile at each other. The one plus side of Jace's stay with Valentine was that he'd discovered Clary wasn't really his sister. Alec hoped this meant the two of them would finally do something about all this unresolved sexual tension floating around every time they were in the same room. The longing looks between them were starting to become tiresome to watch.

Maybe Clary was right and he was just as bad with Magnus. Was that the way he looked when Magnus was in the room? No wonder everyone had guessed his feelings even before he had.

Suddenly uncomfortable with the idea that he was so transparent, Alec closed the meeting by clapping his hands together. "OK, everyone knows what they're doing. Keep me apprised."

With those words he turned and walked out of the room, a chorus of "Alec, we're just teasing!" ringing behind him.

\---

This time though, Clary was wrong. Luke wasn't with Jocelyn; he was actually at work. When Alec phoned him he was told he'd been called to a crime scene and maybe it would be a good idea for Alec to join him there as it might pertain to his current mission.

Arriving on the scene, a grass verge by a side of road completely roped off and swarming with cops, Alec wondered how Luke had found out about it so quickly, a question that was answered when Luke waved him through the police tape and to the scene of the crime.

Alec's breath halted as he noticed the figure standing there, talking to Luke. He was the most beautiful man Alec had ever set eyes on; just looking at him made his heart beat faster. The man in question turned around, his brown eyes sparkling as they fell on Alec's approaching figure.

"Alexander!"

How was it possible, Alec wondered yet again, that Magnus could cut off his breath just by smiling that soft, small smile at him. His mind flashed back to the first time he'd ever laid eyes on him; how Alec's face had broken into a spontaneous smile, without any say from Alec at all, just from the happiness Magnus' soft smile had unleashed. Oh, how that feeling had scared him. He wasn't supposed to react like that, not to another man.

A lot had changed since then, but as he walked closer to the scene, noticing the other two Immortals a little further away among the trees, their heads close together as they talked in low voices, it struck Alec how he still hadn't quite lost that feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He was allowed to feel this, he knew that now, but his body hadn't caught up with his head yet. Both were fighting against years of self-conditioning.

"Hey," he said, when he reached Magnus. "Looks like we both had the same brilliant idea."

What he really wanted to do was lean in and kiss Magnus, just a quick hello kiss. Everyone here already knew they were dating; they probably wouldn't even bat an eye. Despite the strong desire, only made more intense by the look Magnus was giving him, he settled for a press of his hand in the small of Magnus' back. He smiled; it was a small victory in comparison to a kiss, but satisfying nonetheless.

"What have we got?" he asked.

He was peripherally aware they were at a crime scene, but Magnus was wearing tight, black jeans and that leather jacket he wore when he'd visited the Institute and Alec hadn't been able to stop staring at him, even though he'd still been engaged to Lydia at the time and she'd been standing right there next to him. And yes, he was wearing the same fingerless gloves he wore that day. His nail polish was black today. It was all a bit much for Alec's senses.

"John Doe," Luke said. He waved a hand towards Alaric, who Alec now saw was on the phone. "We're trying to determine his identity right now."

Alec tried to pay attention to Luke's words, but Magnus was crouching down next to the body, his jeans riding low in the process, exposing that patch of tanned skin just above his ass. By the Angel, was he trying to kill Alec?

Unaware of Alec's discomfort, Magnus snapped his fingers above the body, the familiar spark growing into a ball of magic as he moved his hand across the body from head to toe. Following Magnus' graceful fingers, Alec could no longer ignore the dead body lying in the grass, the horrendous sight effectively killing any sexy thoughts.

The victim, a white man with brown hair, looked to be somewhere in his forties. There were long, deep gashes across his chest and face; whether they were from a weapon or claws Alec couldn't determine by sight. Maybe Izzy would be able to provide that answer. In his years as a Shadowhunter, he'd seen enough not to be squeamish, but the sheer amount of blood was pretty upsetting.

Finishing his examination, Magnus rose and turned to Luke. "I can't find any traces of magic or demonic possession."

"Maybe just a run of the mill Mundane murder after all," Luke suggested.

"Not necessarily," someone said.

Alec looked up to find Adam and MacLeod had joined them.

"This is not the guy we tracked from Paris," MacLeod said.

Luke quirked an eyebrow. "I feel a but coming on."

"But," said MacLeod, "maybe you should look at the inside of his wrist."

As everyone turned as one to do so, Alec noticed there was indeed something dark on the victim's wrist; the wrist was turned inside, though, making whatever it was only partially visible.

"Damn," Magnus swore softly. "How did I miss that?"

Whatever Magnus and the Immortals had seen remained unclear to the rest of them. Luke used a pencil to turn the wrist just a fraction. Now Alec saw it too. It was a tattoo in the shape of a circle with a Y in the middle.

"What does it mean?" Alec asked.

Magnus' lips twitched. "He's a Watcher."

"Probably our guy's Watcher," Adam added.

Visibly annoyed with these strangers taking over his investigation, Luke shifted his stance. "And pray tell, what is a Watcher?"

"They keep track of Immortals," Magnus replied with a bored stare at his fingernails. "Keep records and everything. They're trying to collect them all, like Pokemon."

While Alec stared at him - Poke-what? - MacLeod barely afforded Magnus a glare, before he turned to Luke. "I'd appreciate it if you could let us know when you find out his identity. Our contacts with the Watchers should be able to tell us who he was watching. That might narrow down the search."

As Luke nodded in acknowledgment, Alec noticed a pointed look being shared between Adam and Magnus. He wondered what that was all about.

"I'd like for Izzy to take a look at the body," Alec told Luke. Not that he didn't trust the city's pathologists; it was just that Izzy was the best.

Luke nodded. "I'll send word to the morgue."

Their conversation was cut short when more Mundanes started showing up: more cops, coroner and the like. Getting the hint the four of them started walking away. As they ducked under the police tape, Alec was startled when he felt Magnus' arm slip through his. The touch wasn't unwelcome, but up until now he'd always waited for Alec to initiate it. Maybe he felt he'd been given permission the other night to touch him all the time.

At the startled look Alec gave him, it seemed to dawn on Magnus what he'd done. His face twisting in apology, he immediately started withdrawing his arm, but Alec quickly shot out a hand to place it on Magnus' arm and keep it there. It felt a bit old-timey, but he liked it. The action made Magnus look up at him, astonished at first, but then his expression gradually shifted to pleased.

"So what's the next stop for you and the..." He trailed off, not wanting to use the word Immortals with so many Mundanes milling about. "And those two," he said instead, with a jerk of his head towards MacLeod and Adam.

"We'll probably do Raphael next," Magnus replied.

Though he knew Magnus hadn't meant it that way, Alec couldn't help teasing him about his choice of words. "Do Raphael?" he asked, with an amused, raised eyebrow.

Magnus shot him a slightly alarmed look, as if he really believed Alec was accusing him of something, but recognising the amusement on Alec's face, he shuddered with exaggerated revulsion. "Please, I'll leave that to your friend, Simon."

Alec grinned, before Magnus' words fully sank in. "Wait, what, Simon?"

Magnus' eyes widened in comic horror; apparently he really had said too much this time. Simon and Raphael? Really? Magnus shrugged, a  _ there's no accounting for tastes _ twist to his lips.

They'd reached the perimeter of the crime scene, where they were supposed to part ways, but Magnus' arm was still tucked around his and Alec didn't particularly want him to let go.

"I'd open a portal to the Institute..." Magnus left the rest hanging, waving his hand around. Yeah, definitely too many Mundanes around for a portal.

"I can give you a lift," MacLeod suggested, but Alec shook his head.

"I don't want to keep you guys. I'll make my own way back."

Now that MacLeod and Adam had joined them, Magnus had let go of Alec's arm with a regretful look. Alec noticed he was rubbing his thumb and index finger together in that distracted way he sometimes did. It amazed Alec yet again. An almost four hundred year old Warlock still suffered from anxieties. It put all of his own insecurities in a strange perspective.

Wanting to stop the nervous habit, he grabbed the hand doing it, along with the other, and holding them in both of his, he pulled Magnus to face him. It brought the desired smile to Magnus' face.

"I'll probably take these two to Pandemonium tonight." Magnus threw a smirk at MacLeod and Adam. "I don't fancy being stuck with them at home all night." Adam smiled, but MacLeod just rolled his eyes. "You want to tag along?" he asked Alec.

Alec almost wished he couldn't see how desperately Magnus wanted him to say yes, despite the casualness of his tone. "I'll see if I can make it." He didn't want to promise anything.

Apparently that was all Magnus needed. He smiled that small smile. There really was no other way Alec could respond. Doing what he'd been afraid to do earlier, he leaned in and kissed Magnus goodbye. It was a quick, barely there press of lips, but Alec felt hot all over as he walked away. He didn't turn around to see Magnus' reaction.

===

One thing Magnus kept thinking as he sat at the bar was how mindnumbingly bored he was. The meeting with the vampires had yielded nothing beyond Raphael's assurance that he knew nothing and his promise to keep Magnus informed if that changed. Of course it had been accompanied by a slew of barbs and insults, from both sides, but that was par for the course with the two of them. Deep down they held a lot of affection for each other. Deep deep down.

So now he was sitting at the bar of Pandemonium, idly swirling his cocktail while he watched the people on the dance floor. He'd hoped Alexander would make it, but it was now almost ten thirty, so that probably meant he wouldn't.

It wasn't like he hadn't had enough offers, from both men or women. Even his usual entourage had got sick of watching him mope and had offered their company. But Magnus had firmly turned all of them down. There was only one person he wanted.

He'd almost completely given up when Magnus spotted him, his messy hair sticking out above most of the other patrons. Magnus' heart leapt at the sight of him, his face breaking into an instant smile.

It took Alec a moment to find him, but Magnus didn't try to get his attention. He was too enthralled looking at him, just drinking him in with his eyes. It made him feel immensely proud to see heads turn wherever Alec passed, the young man completely oblivious of the attention he was attracting. He was utterly unaware, as Magnus had realised upon first meeting him, just how stunning he looked.

Granted, Magnus thought, watching Alec smile as his eyes found Magnus, the black on black he insisted on wearing on a daily basis wasn't doing him any favours. He swore he would see that man in colour if it was the last thing he did.

"Magnus," he said, as he reached him at the bar. There was something breathless in his voice and Magnus knew why; he smiled when he noticed the path Alec's eyes were taking.

Oh, yes, Magnus had dressed with this very result in mind; he was wearing a dark burgundy shirt open down to his pants belt, with lots of necklaces drawing the eye to his chest. And seeing how Alec couldn't seem to tear his eyes away to meet his it looked like his plan had worked.

"Hello Alexander," he said and that finally seemed to break the spell. Magnus chuckled when Alec looked at him with a guilty expression at being caught. "Had trouble getting away from the Institute?"

"Yeah," he sighed, still shaking off that dreamy look. "Last minute demon attack. Just a tiny one, but still enough of a hassle."

Magnus couldn't keep down that shiver of worry that always rose up at the thought of Alec on a mission, but he resolutely squashed it down. He had Alec here with him, looking gorgeous and he was going to make the most of it.

"Where are the Immortals?" Alec asked.

He wanted to shrug and say  _ who cares? _ because at this moment he really didn't. He just wanted to drink in Alexander.

When he didn't reply, Alec cocked an eyebrow at him. He waved a hand somewhere behind him. "They should be over there."

He kept watching Alec as he squinted his eyes to find the two Immortals among the throng of people. The frown that appeared on his face next told Magnus he had found them, on the other end of the bar.

"Do they ever take those trench coats off?"

Magnus chuckled. "Paranoid, the lot of them. What if someone tried to take their head while they're having a beer?"

Alec gave him a disapproving look. "Was that supposed to be a double entendre?"

Magnus shrugged. He really didn't care enough, and was probably slightly too drunk, to be witty. What he really wanted to do was hook his index fingers in Alexander's belt loops and pull him closer. He seemed to be more open to touch lately, but Magnus really didn't want to cross any boundaries.

Still sitting on his bar stool, he waited until Alec looked at him in question to crook a finger at him to come closer. Alec swallowed, his pupils visibly dilating, but to Magnus' surprise did almost immediately as requested. Even more astonishing, he stepped right in between Magnus' legs until their bodies were almost flush against each other. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he closed his knees against Alec's thighs, not enough to trap him and scare him off, but enough to feel the solidness of his muscles, the warmth that seeped all across his body.

He'd probably send the poor man running for the hills if he voiced his thoughts, but Magnus wanted to ruin him, in the sweetest, most gentle way possible. For now, he just looked into Alec's eyes. He knew his cat eyes were out, but he couldn't seem to help it when they were this close; it was like he lost all control over his glamour.

Alec's pupils dilated even more at the sight, his tongue peeking out to lick his lips. So the cat eyes were a turn on? That boded well for future... endeavours.

Damn, Magnus really just wanted to hook his hand behind Alec's neck and drag him down to devour his mouth. Or just lick the deflect rune on his neck, something he'd been fantasizing about since he'd first laid eyes on Alec.

It was up to Alexander, though, to decide what happened next. He was still looking at Magnus, licking his lips again, leaning into him. If he kept that up, Magnus might forget about his resolve to let Alec lead.

Finally he spoke. "Magnus," he said, and this time he sounded like he was in pain. Was it all getting a little too intense? Maybe he'd like to slow down a little.

"Want to dance?" Magnus asked, his voice kept low. Dancing was harmless. They could press up against each other without the pressure of taking it further.

Alec pulled a distressed face. "I can't dance to save my life."

Magnus found that hard to believe. "That doesn't matter," he assured. "As long as you're having fun." He ran a finger along Alec's arm, gratified to see him suck in a breath. "I'm more than willing to guide you through it." And he wasn't just talking about dancing.

Alec's answering roll of his eyes was a clear indication he'd understood what Magnus was implying. "I don't dance. But don't let that stop you. I'll just admire you from here." There was a husky quality to his voice, testimony to how much he meant the words.

Magnus shook his head. "No, there's no fun to it without you." Which left them right back where they'd started. "It's up to you, Alexander." He was startled at how choked his own voice sounded. He couldn't remember the last time anyone'd had this effect on him. Just to put emphasis to his words he increased the pressure around Alec's thighs.

The tiny noise that came out of Alec was almost inaudible over the loud club music, but even if he'd have missed it, he would certainly have caught the way he bit his lip. And fuck, why did that make him look even hotter? What was going on in his head? Magnus wanted to know so badly. Was this as far as he wanted to go? Did he want to take it further?

And then, when he'd started wondering if Alec was waiting for a cue from him, he sucked in a sharp breath when he felt Alec's hands on him, a soft, but firm grip on both his thighs. Alec was staring at him, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open; he was clearly struggling to catch his breath. Not that Magnus was in any better shape. The heat between them was almost tangible.

Magnus was once again overcome with a desperate need to kiss him. His cock twitched at the thought. Oh, how he wanted to tug Alexander in even closer with his thighs, have him apply pressure with that hard body of his where he needed it most.

Alec appeared to be contemplating his next move. Magnus knew what he wanted, but he really - and he kept reminding himself over and over - _ really _ had to let Alec take control. His beautiful hazel eyes flashed bright; Alec blinked twice, as if he'd made up his mind, and before Magnus could even wonder what it could be, oh sweet heaven above, Alec's hands moved, torturously slow almost, up Magnus' thighs. The touch sent heat skittering along his body, setting his skin on fire.

He couldn't hold back a moan to save his life. Alec was still looking at him, a slow smile appearing on those luscious lips Magnus was dying to suck on. The little bastard looked so pleased with himself. Fuck, Magnus wanted him. Whatever Alec wanted, he would give it to him. He jumped off the stool, startling Alec in the process, but as soon as his hand had closed around Alec's wrist and he was pulling him along Alec seemed to get with the program. What Magnus was going to do to this man he was not willing to share with the rest of the club.

The door of his office had barely closed behind them, before Alec had him backed against a wall, his body pressing all along Magnus' as he claimed his mouth without hesitation. All Magnus could do was hold on tight, one hand clutching at Alec's shirt, the other tugging at his hair, as he was pulled along by the tidal wave crashing into him. Finally,  _ finally, _ those lips were on his. Alec was part hunger, part desperation, sucking on Magnus' lips, chasing his tongue around his mouth, until finally breathless, he looked at Magnus.

There was something wild in his eyes, but fuck, he looked so hot, his pupils wide, his lips kiss-swollen. Magnus felt so honoured to be the one to get to see him unravel like this. Alec's eyes went from Magnus' eyes to his lips; Magnus wondered what he saw, but then his eyes dipped even lower. Alec's hands lifted from where they'd been planted on the wall on either side of Magnus' head; Magnus could see they were slightly shaking as he opened Magnus' shirt and gently, almost reverently, ran his hands across Magnus' chest, sliding his shirt off in the process. Magnus sucked in a breath; the touch was setting him on fire.

"You are so beautiful," Alec said softly, his voice barely audible. "I keep wondering how it's possible to be this beautiful." He sounded almost awed when he added, "You've been driving me crazy all day." Something flashed in Alec's eyes, and suddenly he'd buried his face in Magnus' neck, breathing him in deeply.

Equally out of breath, the only thing Magnus could think to do, was run soothing caresses along Alexander's back. There was no hiding how hard they both were. He pressed his leg between Alec's legs, just to see what would happen. A loud moan vibrated against Magnus' neck, but Alec didn't move.

"Magnus," he said; it was more a groan than a name.

"Anything, my darling." He stroked his fingers through Alec's hair soothingly. The term of endearment had slipped out unwittingly, but it made a shudder run along Alec's spine. Magnus filed it away for future reference. "Anything you want."

What happened next caught both of them by surprise, maybe Alec even more than Magnus, judging from his reaction. Alec's hand grasped Magnus' thigh and hiked it up against his own, just hoisted him up against the wall until his leg was wrapped around Alec's hip.

The wind knocked out of him, Magnus just stared at Alec, who was staring back at him, his mouth open, as shell-shocked as Magnus, their breathing loud and harsh.

Another thing Magnus had never considered in dating a Shadowhunter for the first time in his long life: their Angelic  _ strength. _ It was fucking hot.

And fuck, the stimulation overload, their cocks now lined up perfectly, both of them very hard. Magnus could come like this, from the friction between them; he wanted desperately to move, but more than that, he wanted Alec to get off. He wanted to give that to Alexander, tell him it was OK; they could rut up against each other like this, until they both came in their pants. A snap of Magnus' fingers would have them both looking pristine again by the time they went back out there.

He moved his hips experimentally, both of them sucking in a breath at the sensation, but from the look on Alec's face, Magnus could see the moment had already passed; Alec was losing his nerve again. His grip on Magnus' thigh slackened as Magnus' leg was slowly lowered until his foot hit the floor again.

As if he couldn't maintain eye-contact, Alec hid his face in Magnus' neck again. Magnus carted fingers through his hair.

"It's OK, Alexander," he assured. And it really was. He would never want Alec to do something he didn't feel ready for.

"I want this," he breathed into Magnus' neck. "I  _ really _ want this." When he straightened some time later, there was a wry smile on his lips. "Just not in your back office at the Pandemonium."

Giddy with relief, Magnus smiled. "I have a very big bed at home."

Alec's eyes widened. "Fuck," he breathed with feeling. His hands had started roaming across Magnus' shoulders and down his arms, as if he was envisioning spreading Magnus across that very big bed. It should have set Magnus on edge again, but instead it seemed to help him come back down.

Once they were both suitably collected, Alec grinned sheepishly and bent to pick up Magnus' discarded shirt. Magnus didn't even try to pretend he wasn't ogling his ass.

"Sorry about that," Alec said, as he handed the shirt over, his eyes not meeting Magnus'.

His playfulness returning, Magnus grinned. "Never apologise for ripping my clothes off, Alexander."

To his satisfaction, Alec never blushed; he simply rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. "I didn't rip anything." His eyes were hazel fire as they locked with Magnus'. "I could have," he said, his voice practically a growl; it was a clear challenge.

Magnus groaned. He'd created a monster.

\---

That very big bed of his felt even bigger now. Images of Alexander, his eyes wild, his lips wet and glistening as they found his again and again kept tormenting him, making it impossible to sleep. He was too keyed up. He was perfectly willing to wait for Alec, but this thing had been going on for months now. Magnus wasn't sure how much more he could take.

He turned onto his other side yet again. Every time he was on the verge of falling asleep, he'd feel that strong hand, fingers digging in his thigh as he was hoisted up, trapped between a hard wall and an even harder body, and he'd be wide awake again. At this point he was considering knocking himself out with magic.

How could he sleep when his imagination ran wild the moment he closed his eyes? It provided images of Alexander, naked, perspiration gathering on his skin, writhing on this very bed, his head thrown back, hands gripping the sheets helplessly as Magnus took him slowly and completely apart. And yeah, that did it. Magnus' hand was squeezing his hardening cock through his pyjama bottoms, a low moan escaping at the sensation.

No, he couldn't. He yanked his hand away. He didn't know why, but it felt like he was sullying his sweet Alexander. Giving up any attempts at sleep, he threw off the covers and got out of bed. Though it was something like three in the morning, he remembered his house guests this time and threw on a silk robe. It only came up to his thighs, but at least he was covered.

The robe turned out to be a good idea; as he opened his bedroom door he saw he wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping. The lights were all out, but there was a lone figure sitting on the couch, the lights from the city that never slept lighting his face.

Magnus didn't want to startle him - startling an Immortal tended to end with a sword pressed to your throat - but the other man spoke before he could.

"Can't sleep either?" MacLeod turned towards Magnus, who pulled a face.

"Immortals and their damn hyper awareness," he mumbled under his breath. He went to the drinks trolley to pour himself a drink; he'd already noticed the glass of whiskey in MacLeod's hand to know he was good.

With a whiskey of his own in hand, he sat down in his favourite chair and crossed one leg over the other, trying not to feel too self-conscious about their bareness. At least MacLeod was more appropriately dressed, in sweatpants and a T-shirt.

They sat there for a while, in the dark, occasionally taking sips of their drinks and not talking. In the end, Magnus couldn't take the silence anymore.

"So what's keeping you up?" He winced at his choice of words; in Magnus' case he was literally being kept awake by something being 'up'.

When MacLeod gave him his patented soulful brown eyes look, Magnus instantly regretted asking. This wasn't going to be one of MacLeod's  _ everything that's gone wrong in my very long life _ talks, was it? They'd be here until morning.

MacLeod sighed. "I was just thinking about Hélène."

That was a name Magnus had never heard before. Not that he was in the habit of keeping up with MacLeod's acquaintances. "Hélène?" he asked.

"My friend who got possessed by Leraje."

Oh. Magnus instantly felt bad for what he'd been thinking. MacLeod grieving for his friend made Magnus' inability to sleep because he was horny for Alexander seem infinitely trivial.

"Tell me about her," he said gently. He didn't particularly want to hear, but he felt he owed it to MacLeod after his uncharitable thoughts.

MacLeod took a deep breath and sipped from his whiskey before he spoke. "She was a kind, generous soul. Beautiful both on the outside and the inside. Extremely loving."

The way MacLeod talked about her made Magnus suspect they hadn't just been friends. He knew MacLeod and Methos weren't exclusive; their personalities were both too big for daily cohabitation. They'd kill each other within the first month.

His next words confirmed Magnus' suspicion. "Methos was travelling across South America at the time. I wasn't looking for anything; I was perfectly happy being on my own. But she..." He broke off and shook his head, a wistful smile on his lips. "She was captivating."

"I'm sorry," Magnus said softly. He'd said it before, but that was before he knew what she'd meant to MacLeod. "I assume she was mortal?"

MacLeod sighed and answered his question with a nod. After a moment of silence, he quietly quoted, "My feet will want to walk to where you are sleeping, but I shall go on living."

It perfectly described how Magnus had felt after every loss. Part of him had wanted to die with them, the other knew he wasn't ready to follow them yet. "That's beautiful."

"Hélène loved Pablo Neruda."

Looking at MacLeod's sad smile he knew they were thinking the same thing, remembering all the people they'd loved and lost across the centuries. He was sharply reminded the same fate would one day befall Alexander; he swallowed down the nausea that rose at the thought.

"I'm sorry too."

Sunk into his own morbid thoughts, Magnus startled at MacLeod's words. "Whatever for?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

MacLeod almost appeared to look guilty. "For treating you like shit because of your demon blood." As Magnus' eyes grew wide in realisation, MacLeod shrugged. "I don't exactly have good experiences with demons."

Magnus' lips twisted. "Few people do, Duncan." He shrugged. "I didn't think much of it, to be honest. I just assumed we had a natural banter thing going. I tend to trade barbs with all my closest friends."

His eyebrow quirked, MacLeod grinned back. "Closest friends? I wouldn't go that far, Bane."

A door at the end of the corridor opened; moments later Methos appeared. He stared between the two of them in disbelief, before a slow smirk settled across his face. "Am I still asleep or are you two  _ bonding? _ " He said the last word like it was a profanity.

"With Broody MacBrood of the clan MacBrood?" Magnus huffed as MacLeod exclaimed, "With demon spawn over here? Get real, Methos!"

Methos shook his head fondly. "Come back to bed, Mac."

Knocking back the last of his drink, MacLeod put his glass on the coffee table and rose to his feet. He gave Magnus a small smile. "Thanks for the talk, Magnus."

"You too, Duncan."

MacLeod made his way back to the spare room, Methos behind him, shaking his head in amused disbelief. Guess there was nothing left for Magnus to do but finish his drink and return to his own bed. His very big, very devoid of Alexander bed.

===

The call came at ten a.m.; Luke let them know they'd established the stab victim's name. By eleven MacLeod's contact with the Watchers had come through, and they had a name and an address.

Alec took Izzy and Clary with him; Jace wanted in as well, but one look at him made it clear he was still too weak. With a firm grasp of Alec's wrist, he promised to make it next time. Alec was not in the least surprised - was in fact rather relieved - when Jace and Clary parted on a desperate embrace. His bow and quiver slung across his shoulder, they headed out.

To avoid triggering their mark's alert to their presence, they met the Immortals a few blocks away from the actual address. Something sharp jolted through Alec when he saw Magnus. He didn't look much different than usual, dressed down for the occasion in dark blue jeans and a dark coat, sharp black eyeliner with dramatic light grey eyeshadow, no highlights in his jet black hair. And yet, Alec felt his presence all the way to his toes.

Things between them had escalated to a point that a prickle of excitement sparkled along Alec's skin merely from looking at Magnus. The sooner they could get this over with and send the Immortals packing, the sooner they could make use of that big bed of Magnus'. The prickle along his skin intensified at the thought. He saw Izzy frown when he shivered, but her look turned to understanding when she noticed where his attention was directed.

"  _ Céntrate en la misión en vez de en el guapo de tu novio. _ " She probably said it in Spanish in order not to embarrass him in front of everyone, but judging from the knowing smirks around them, Clary was the only one who hadn't understood. The youngest of the Immortal trio was just shy of four hundred years old. Did Izzy think they wouldn't have picked up Spanish along the way? At least she had the decency to look guilty.

"Thanks a lot, Izzy," he replied sarcastically.

"Not bad advice, though," said Adam with a giant smirk.

Alec gave him his standard reply and rolled his eyes.

"I suggest the three of you take the back entrance," Adam told the Shadowhunters. They had been studying the blueprints of the building; they had the layout memorized. "The moment Johnson senses us..." He indicated MacLeod and himself. "... he'll try to make a run for it."

Izzy's examination of the victim had concurred with the official coroner's report: the victim had been stabbed by a sharp object, most likely a sword. It was very possible he'd been killed by the very Immortal he was Watching. They had to approach this man, Johnson, with caution.

"I'd prefer to go with them," Magnus said, but his eyes were locked on Alec. He clearly wanted to stay close to keep an eye on him.

That suited Alec just fine; he felt exactly the same about keeping Magnus safe. "I'd prefer that too," he said. Their eyes locked, something passing between them that didn't need to be spoken out loud.

MacLeod shook his head. "You two can indulge in your battle couple fantasies some other time." Both Alec and Magnus glared at him.

That didn't stop him and Adam, Alec noticed with a bitter twist of his lips, as the two Immortals pulled out swords from their trench coat in almost perfect synchronisation, an ancient broadsword for Adam, a Japanese katana for MacLeod. So that's what those trench coats were for and why they never took them off; it was where they hid their swords.

"There's a good chance Johnson will sense Magnus' magic," MacLeod added. "We can't have both our avenues of approach compromised."

As much as Alec hated to admit it, he did have a point. Not that it made him feel any happier about the whole thing. The blank look on Magnus' face told him he felt the same. Some might have mistaken his lifeless expression for indifference, but Alec knew better. Magnus had two coping methods to hurt; he either lashed out or he went completely still. The way his cheek twitched was the only indication of just how upset he really was.

The need to take away that look drove Alec closer to Magnus. Brown eyes flashed to cat eyes as they locked with Alec's. They both knew they were walking into a dangerous situation, one they might not walk out of alive.

Alec swallowed painfully. "Be careful," he said. He couldn't help but reach out, wanting some kind of connection; he settled for twisting his fingers in the lapels of Magnus' coat.

"You too," Magnus replied, his voice equally choked up.

Time was running out on them; they had to part and do what needed to be done, but the words exchanged didn't feel like enough to convey how he felt. He thought of Clary and Jace, and how they'd clung to each other, in case it was the last time they could. Why couldn't he have that?

Fuck that. Who said he couldn't? Before he could think about it too much, he hooked a hand around the back of Magnus' neck and pulled him in, showing him everything he felt with a hard but tender press of lips against his. Magnus returned the kiss with the same desperate need.

They parted with an audible smack of lips; Alec couldn't look at anyone. He just turned around and started walking in the opposite direction of the immortals.

"Not a word," he growled, as he walked between Clary and Izzy, who parted at his approach, the same stunned but happy grins on their faces.

\---

It all happened so fast he wasn't sure where it all started going wrong. They'd accessed the building through the back alley, as planned and the three of them had taken up positions, with Alec in the centre, in case Johnson got past the Immortals and tried to make a run for it. There was a commotion and then Alec heard a sound he instantly recognised, the crackling of Magnus' magic. With a nod at Clary and Izzy, he signaled them to take a stand; they drew their Seraph blades, as Alec nocked an arrow, ready to shoot.

The rest was all a blur. What appeared to be a grey cloud came rushing towards them and there were voices screaming his name; after that there was nothing, just the sweet darkness of oblivion.

The first thing he noticed when he regained consciousness was the pain, a searing pain that shot through every limb. It took a while, but when he finally managed to pry open his eyes, he noticed his surroundings: four poster bed, silk rich green sheets, the smell of Magnus all around him. The next thing he saw were the brown eyes gazing at him in concern.

Alec chuckled. It was a lot more painful than he'd anticipated. "Not the way I had imagined ending up in your bed," he croaked. There was a dull pain behind his eyes, making it difficult to focus on Magnus' face.

Relief flashed across Magnus' eyes; cat eyes appeared for a second before he could get his glamour under control again. "Not mine either, my darling." His voice was hoarse with worry, but there was that darling again, the one that made Alec warm all over.

He tried to sit up, but groaned at how much effort it was taking. Whatever had happened, it shouldn't have left him this sore, not if the iratze was doing its job.

Magnus' hands shot out to help him. "Maybe you shouldn't try..." He trailed off when he saw how determined Alec was.

Struggling to sit up, he noticed Izzy was in the room as well. As was Jace. When had he got there? How long had Alec been out?

Knowing that his siblings were in the room with him made him feel slightly self-conscious about what he'd just said to Magnus, but it soon vanished when he realised they both looked way too concerned to tease him about it.

"Alec," Izzy cried, as she rushed closer to help Magnus, "we've been so worried."

"What happened?" Alec asked, once he was more or less settled against the pile of pillows.

Standing at attention at the end of the bed, Jace looked between Izzy and Magnus. "I'd like to know that too." It was obvious from his facial expression and his rigid stance he was blaming himself for not being there, not Izzy or Magnus.

Alec was sure that he had nothing to feel guilty about and that whatever had happened to him would still have happened if Jace had been there, but with Magnus sitting on the bed on one side and Izzy doing the same on his other side, he hoped they would confirm his suspicion.

He turned to Magnus first. "What happened with you and the Immortals? I'm sure I heard your magic."

Magnus shook his head in confusion, as if he was still working out the sequence of events in his own mind. "When we confronted Johnson, he predictably tried to make a run for it, but two Immortals against one..." He sighed. "MacLeod stopped him. It came to a sword fight between the two of them. MacLeod took his head. And his Quickening."

He said it all so matter-of-factly, Alec couldn't help gaping at him. "So Leraje is defeated?"

Magnus looked down, and rubbed his thumb and index finger together. Never a good sign. "When MacLeod took his head,the demon tried to escape."

Alec twisted around to face Izzy. She nodded at him in confirmation. "The grey cloud that enveloped us."

Wait. Did that mean...? He stared back at Magnus."Does that mean one of us is possessed?"

Alarm in his eyes, Magnus held up his hands to ward off his concerns. "No, I did an immediate spell to locate demon possession on all three of you. Nobody was infected."

Somewhat reassured, Alec sank back in the pillows. "So how did I end up here?" He looked at Izzy in horror. "I didn't faint, did I?"

He was gratified to see a smile, tentative though it was, curl her lips. "We all passed out, Alec. All three of us."

"And yet," he said, trying not to sound bitter, "I'm the only one in this bed." Unless... A feeling of dread swept through him. Where was Clary? "Is Clary all right?" he asked Jace, his voice subdued with fear.

Jace's eyes widened for a moment with incomprehension before his face broke into a relieved smile when he realised what Alec was asking. "By the Angel, Alec, no, don't worry about it. Clary is fine. She's with Luke, trying to help him write a police report that doesn't sound like it was written by a fantast." He grinned. "And she felt she was intruding on a family moment."

Alec huffed out a snort at the ridiculousness of that statement. "Of course she's welcome. She's family." She was dating his brother, for crying out loud. "Magnus is here, isn't he?" he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

A sharp intake of breath made his gaze turn back to Magnus; he was staring at Alec with something akin to awe. What? Had Magnus not realised?

Jace's cough broke the intense moment between them. He grinned when Alec glared at him. "That's because Magnus saved your life." Alec turned back to Magnus and stared at him; he gave Alec a self-conscious smile. "We could hardly kick him out of the room after that, could we?"

"You saved my life?" Alec asked, his voice a mere whisper.

Magnus shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal. "You got the brunt of the demon attack. The iratze alone wouldn't have done it."

Alec grimaced. "I still feel like shit, though." The throb behind his eyes still hadn't gone.

Now Magnus looked contrite. "And you might for a while. I had to use powerful spells to lure the demon away. That's why you were brought here, where I could make the necessary potions."

Smiling gratefully, Alec took Magnus' hand and laced their fingers together. "Thank you," he said in a low voice. He almost added that his parents would pay him for his work, but stopped himself barely in time. He might as well slap Magnus in the face. He was no longer that ignorant young man who believed the only reason Warlocks did any good deeds was for monetary compensation. He knew damn well Magnus would have healed him even if they weren't dating. He had healed Luke out of the kindness of his heart, because that was the kind of man he was.

Instead of saying any of that, he brought their entwined fingers up to his lips and kissed the back of Magnus' hand. "Thank you," he whispered again.

As their gazes held, Alec heard a snigger behind him, but he was too enthralled by the look in Magnus' eyes to look away.

"And on that note," Izzy said, chuckling softly, "it's time for us to go."

Alec was vaguely aware of Izzy pulling Jace with her out of the room; as soon as the door closed behind them, Magnus leaned towards him and they were kissing.

===

"How are you feeling?" Magnus asked.

He buried a little deeper into Alec's shoulder, sighing in contentment as he breathed him in. The less than stellar circumstances in which they had found themselves lying in bed together aside, this was nice. Alec's arm was pillowing Magnus' head, his fingers playing with Magnus' hair, while Magnus had his hand on Alec's chest, right over his heart. He could stay here forever, Magnus thought. His head was still buzzing from being called family by Alec, a feeling that wasn't likely to go away any time soon.

"A little better," Alec said. "That potion you gave me seems to be kicking in." He twisted his head around to look at Magnus' face. "How about you? Are you OK?"

That was a good question. Magnus had been so frantic with saving Alec's life he'd pushed his own needs to the side. Now things had settled he was finally allowing himself to think about the last few hours. The immenseness of what might have happened, what he could have lost, threatened to overwhelm him for a moment. The sight of Alec lying on the ground, his eyes rolled back in his head, flashed back across his mind. He wanted to fling it away, but he knew it was an image that would be burnt into his memory forever.

How many times more? The thought popped into his head unbidden, making him wince. This was only the first of many. This would happen time and time again. Alec was a Shadowhunter; he put himself in the line of fire for a living.

But that wasn't even the worst of it. What was the point of all Magnus' power if he couldn't even protect Alec?

"Magnus?" Alec sounded worried when he didn't get a reply.

"No," he said quietly, shaking himself out of his thoughts. "I'm not OK."

His expression alarmed, Alec immediately tried to sit up, but Magnus pushed him down again. It didn't stop him from frowning at Magnus. "Damn it," he swore, "you should have said something, Magnus. What's wrong? Do you need a healer?"

"That's not what I meant." He shook his head. "It shouldn't have happened, Alec," he admitted. His guilt prevented him from calling him Alexander; there was no room for sentimentality, just honesty. "You never should have gotten hurt."

"What are you talking about?" Alec asked. Despite the frown on his face, his voice was surprisingly gentle.

Unable to meet Alec's gaze, Magnus looked down at his hand where it rested over Alec's heart, a heart he wanted to protect above all else. "When you said you heard the crackle of my magic?" He only knew Alec had nodded because he felt the movement of his shoulder beneath his head. "That's when I tried to contain Leraje. I couldn't do it. He was too strong for me." His voice faltered when he added, "He never should have gotten anywhere near you." He steeled himself for Alec's reaction, but when he sighed and gathered Magnus a little closer, his heart leapt in his chest.

"Sometimes people are stronger than you, Magnus," Alec said. Why did he have to sound so reasonable? "It happens." He chuckled, the sound sending bursts of warmth along Magnus' skin. "I know, I know," he said, his voice teasing, "you're the High Warlock of Brooklyn and there are probably very few individuals more powerful than you, but you had to come across one sooner or later."

There was no other way Magnus could respond to those words; he leaned up and kissed Alexander thoroughly. "Not that you deserve that," he said, once they'd parted, some of his playfulness coming back. "Implying there's someone more powerful than me!" He let out a mock wounded huff.

Alec chuckled. "Would never even dare."

They lay there together in comfortable silence, until Alec asked, "So Leraje is still out there?"

Magnus nodded. "MacLeod and Adam are out looking for him. He should have found a host body quickly."

"So we're back at square one?" Alec's question was more of a slur than words. It sounded like he was struggling not to fall asleep.

Magnus grinned when he saw Alec's eyes falling closed. "Looks like it," he said quietly, but he doubted Alec had heard. It was obvious from his steady breathing that he was asleep.

Raising himself up on his elbow, Magnus looked down on his sleeping face. A feeling of such tenderness, like he hadn't felt in centuries, swept through him as he gently brushed a lock of unruly hair from Alec's brow.

He'd held the word love at bay for so long now, but he could no longer deny it. He loved Alexander. It would come back to bite him on the ass later, he knew that, but for now he allowed himself to feel it, rejoice in it, before it all fell apart, like it inevitably always did.

With a soft kiss on Alec's forehead he extricated himself from his arms and quietly made his way out of the room. He found Izzy in the kitchen, busy cleaning away all the potions and supplies he'd left lying around haphazardly. He almost said,  _ I have magic for that _ , but then smiled when he remembered the time he'd told that other Lightwood the same.

She looked up when he entered the kitchen and gave him a hopeful smile. "How's Alec?" Her eyes were bright; she must have known he wouldn't be out here with her if Alec was doing worse.

"He's asleep. It will do him good." Looking around, he noticed someone was missing. "Jace?"

"Went to check on Clary..." Her voice trailed off when he suppressed a yawn; that determined look settled across Isabelle's face that apparently was genetic to all Lightwoods. "Magnus, by the Angel, shouldn't you be asleep as well?" Grabbing his arm she started pushing him towards the couch and forced him to sit down. He was so exhausted he couldn't even find the energy to glare at her for touching him. Not that he really minded it from Izzy...

His mind going off on a tangent, he missed most of her rant. "Excuse me, dear, but what?"

She stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. She'd probably strangle him if he said so, but he was suddenly struck with how much she resembled Maryse.

"You must be exhausted from all the magic you used! Do you want to take a nap? Can I get you anything?"

That was definitely where the resemblance to her mother ended; Magnus giggled at the idea of Maryse saying all those things to him or looking at him with that much concern. He quickly schooled his expression back to neutral when she looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"There's still so much I've got to do," he said, as he tried to get up again. "MacLeod and Adam are out there..."

Her facial expression set, she gently but firmly pushed him back. "They'll have to manage for a while. You sit back and I'll make you a cup of tea. Or would you prefer hot chocolate? Jace says mine is undrinkable but I'm sure..."

"Isabelle!" She looked startled at his outburst, but not for long. "I'm the High Warlock of Brooklyn," he started, but his imperial tone quickly crumbled when she gave him her most unimpressed look. "I don't need someone mothering me," he added in a gentler tone.

Izzy gave him a warm look. "You saved my brother's life, Magnus. Please let me do something in return."

Now he understood; this new generation of Lightwoods was certainly nothing like their parents. Magnus nodded, as he gave her a soft smile.

"A cup of tea would go down a treat right now," he conceded.

She nodded, a very  _ now was that so hard? _ look on her face. She turned to go back to the kitchen, but the words she shot over her shoulder made his gut twist with an emotion too strong to name.

"Besides, you heard Alec! You're family!"

\---

By the time MacLeod and Methos came back from their fruitless search, Alec was feeling well enough to join them in the living room. Jace and Clary had returned, bringing Luke with them. But the strangest guest sitting on his couch right now, glaring in Izzy's direction, was Raphael Santiago.

Looking around his crowded living room, Magnus wondered just when he'd lost control of his life. How had it derailed to the point that his living room was now filled with vampires, werewolves, Immortals and worst of all, Shadowhunters? All things considered, he supposed it wasn't as bad as meeting at the Institute. At least here they had cocktails.

"OK," he said, crossing one leg over the other and taking a sip of said cocktail. He eyed Raphael, who, of course - Magnus almost rolled his eyes at Raphael's obviousness - had brought Simon in tow. At least the two of them had settled their differences after The Great Betrayal.

"It appears Raphael has some news for us." He added, mumbling under his breath, "I don't see how it couldn't be shared over the phone..." He knew damn well Raphael's vampire hearing would pick it up and smiled sweetly when he glared at Magnus.

"If you're not interested, I could go..." Raphael started petulantly.

"Just get on with it," Magnus grumbled.

"I might have a suspicion who's behind the summoning," he said, glaring at Magnus again, "but before I share any of my info I want to confirm something. I hear there's a list being compiled of the victims?"

"Yeah," Luke said. He produced a folder and handed it over to Raphael.

With his vampire speed it didn't take him long to get through the whole list. "  _ Dios mio _ ," he whispered when he was done, "  _ no puede ser _ ."

"What?" Methos asked, from his spot leaning against the wall. "What can't be?"

Raphael looked up. He tapped a name on the list with his index finger. "Spoke up against Camille."

A tendril of fear curled around Magnus' insides at that name. That fucking name. Again. From the corner of his eye he saw Alec's attention shift from Raphael to him. Magnus knew exactly what was going through his mind.

Ignoring the commotion he'd caused, Raphael continued relentlessly. He tapped another name on the list. "Ex-lover of Camille." Another name. "Defied Camille's leadership."

"Yes, yes, we get the picture," Magnus interrupted impatiently, his voice harder than he'd intended. Camille always had that effect on him. "Camille is not behind this." He said it with absolute certainty. Alec frowned at his words, but Magnus tried his best to ignore it. Alec would just have to trust him.

"No, she isn't," Raphael agreed. "She's not that dumb."

Taking another sip of his cocktail, Magnus nodded. "You can accuse Camille of a lot of things." Cruelty. Thoughtlessness. Some other not so nice words sprang to mind. "Stupidity isn't one of them. And summoning a demon. Very stupid."

"And that's not what I came here to imply," Raphael continued, " but it confirms what I was suspecting. There have been rumblings among my clan lately. Some people aren't happy about me taking over leadership from Camille. I mean, I have, so they have no choice but to follow, but there are whispers that for some of them, their alliance still lies with Camille."

"So what are you saying?" Alec asked, his first contribution to the conversation.

Magnus had noticed how Alec's eyes were on him every time Camille's name was mentioned; Magnus winked at him to reassure him she held no power over him anymore. It wasn't the complete truth yet, but it was starting to be. Alec shot him a tentative smile back.

"What I'm saying is that some of my vampires are still loyal to Camille. One of them might think they're helping her by taking out her enemies." He bared his fangs and gave a tiny growl; Magnus couldn't hold back a roll of his eyes at the posturing. "If you  _ children _ hadn't allowed her to escape," he snarled, "none of this would have happened."

Izzy and Clary looked ready to defend their actions, but Magnus stopped all discussion by holding up two fingers.

"One," he told Raphael, "you don't know that. And two, it happened. Get over it already." As if Magnus was any happier she was out there somewhere. A thought occurred to him. "If the demon is after Camille's enemies, you might be in danger."

Raphael tilted his head and grinned at him. "And if he's after her ex-lovers, you are." He almost looked happy about the prospect. Magnus saw Alec bristle at Raphael's words; poor lad didn't understand this was how he and Raphael communicated.

Magnus took another sip from his cocktail; nothing drove him faster to drink than Camille. Or Raphael, for that matter. "Why would he be after me?" he asked. "I never broke her heart." Quite the contrary, in fact.

Simon snorted. "That would imply she had one."

Magnus almost felt like high-fiving the kid.

Simon's expression suddenly turned to alarm. "Wait, what about me?" he asked. "Am  _ I _ in danger?"

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Why would  _ you _ be in danger,  _ estúpido _ ?"

Interesting term of endearment, Magnus thought with an amused twist of his lips.

Simon looked slightly offended when he replied. "Well, she  _ is _ my Sire."

Magnus leaned towards Simon. For the first time since knowing him, he'd become interesting; he noticed Raphael too was looking at Simon in a whole new light.

"That's right, she is," Magnus said, his eyes never leaving Simon's increasingly alarmed looking face.

"Can you do it?" Raphael's question was directed at Magnus, even though he too was still focused on Simon.

"I will have to consult some spell books, but it should be possible."

Now looking completely freaked out, Simon shrank away from the both of them. "Why are you two staring at me like that?" he asked, his voice slightly shrill. "You're creeping me out, guys!"

"Yeah, what are you planning to do to him?" Clary piped up, worry about her oldest friend seeping into her voice.

"Relax, biscuit," Magnus told her. "We're just talking about a location spell. All we need is a bit of Simon's blood and we might be able to discover Camille's whereabouts." He could definitely feel the weight of Alec's gaze on him again.

"How does that help us?" MacLeod asked.

"It might lure whoever is doing this out of hiding, if his whole motive was impressing Camille," Raphael explained. "And if it doesn't..." He shrugged. "Camille where she can't do any harm? Just a happy side effect."

"You can't track her?" Clary asked.

"Yeah," Jace interjected, his face twisted in amusement, "I thought Warlock tracking was so powerful?"

Magnus gave him a look. "In this case, not powerful enough."

"You only need my blood?" Simon asked. He looked less freaked out, but not by much.

"You'll only feel a little prick," Magnus assured. He grinned wickedly. "You should be used to a little prick." He smirked over the rim of his cocktail glass as Raphael glared at him, Alec snorted and Simon turned a lovely shade.

===

As was to be expected, Magnus' patience with that many people occupying his space ran out quick. Alec stayed behind after everyone, vampires, werewolf and Shadowhunters had been sent packing, but to his surprise, Magnus completely ignored him and started rifling through the many books lining up an entire wall of his study. Apparently he thought there was no time like the present to get stuck into his search for the spell to locate Camille.

Alec couldn't hold back the sharp stab of jealousy that shot through him, no matter how hard he tried. His eyes had been on Magnus every time her name was mentioned, and although he made a valiant effort to pretend she didn't have any hold on him anymore, it was clear from the way Magnus' eyes clouded over that it wasn't the complete truth. And yes, in his head, Alec knew damn well she had kissed Magnus and not the other way around, just to get under Alec's skin, but that knowledge didn't stop his insecurities from rearing their ugly heads.

Maybe he could make himself useful around the loft, Alec thought, while Magnus poured over his books, but he quickly learned something new about Magnus. When he was in research mode, it was virtually impossible to distract him. Alec suspected the loft could be on fire around him and he'd put it out with a distracted snap of his fingers without even so much as looking up from the ancient text he was studying. In the end, Alec went home. It took a lot of effort not to pout because he didn't even get a goodnight kiss.

After a restless night, he hoped to at least clear his head by kicking some good old-fashioned demon butt, but of course it was just his luck demon activity seemed to be at an all-time low. The demons that did show their faces were all tiny ones, the kind Clary and Izzy could easily take care of on their own. Furthermore, with Jace mostly recovered from his injuries, he accompanied them on most missions; there was no need for the acting head of the Institute to tag along.

It occurred to Alec that the reason the only remaining demons were of the minor, harmless variety, might be because Leraje had moved into the neighbourhood. When he shared his suspicion with Magnus the next day, he grunted something that sounded like agreement, his eyes never lifting off the page he was reading. Something about the single-mindedness with which Magnus was going about this spell was starting to worry Alec. Had he even slept? When he checked with Adam and MacLeod they confirmed his worries; he'd been at it all night.

"He's not trying to ignore you," Adam assured him. "Magnus can get a little obsessed when he gets his nose in a dusty old book."

"Look who's talking," MacLeod said with a snort. "I can't even count the times I've woken up in the middle of the night to find you'd fallen asleep with your face planted in some Watchers journal."

Adam smiled sweetly. "Yeah, but they were journals about  _ me _ . I'm infinitely fascinating."

It wasn't just the fact he couldn't be of any help to Magnus that was making Alec feel extra useless. There was an unrest bubbling up inside him, compelling him to keep moving. Alec knew what it was like to be driven. His whole life up to this point had been in service of his career, his parents, his duty as a Shadowhunter, as a Lightwood. This was something new, something he'd never felt before. It felt like an itch he couldn't scratch, like there were a thousand ants crawling underneath his skin.

And that wasn't the only thing he hadn't shared with anyone. The dull ache behind his eyes still hadn't gone. It wasn't a headache, just a steady pressure that never eased up.

He couldn't sit there and do nothing. He had to keep moving. The solution was obvious; he'd join MacLeod and Adam on their search.

Adam grinned when Alec told him of his plans. "You just want me to tell you every embarrassing story I've got about Magnus."

Running his hand behind his head self-consciously, Alec smiled back. "The thought may have crossed my mind."

"Did you hear that, Magnus?" Adam called in the direction of Magnus' study. "I'm going to tell young Alec of that time you got so drunk you vomited in Abraham Lincoln's stove pipe hat."

Alec couldn't stop himself from gaping. Surely that hadn't happened? Were all immortals prone to tall tales?

"Yeah, that's great. Have fun," a distracted voice drifted back.

"Has he even eaten?" Alec asked, concerned.

Adam shrugged. "I've seen him magic something when he gets hungry or thirsty. He won't starve himself."

That didn't particularly make Alec feel better. His worry increasing, he made his way towards Magnus' study. "Hey," he said, unsurprised when Magnus didn't even look up.

Despite his lack of sleep, Magnus still looked amazing. Sure, his hair was hanging a little more limp than usual and his eyeshadow had blurred a bit, but it amazed Alec how very attractive he still was.

"We're heading out now," he tried again.

Magnus raised his head just far enough to kiss the air in Alec's direction. "Enjoy yourselves."

Sighing, Alec shook his head and turned to leave, but he changed his mind. He'd had enough of this. He walked to Magnus with long strides, turned his chair and bent down to kiss him hard.

There was a moment where Magnus stilled and Alec thought he'd made a big mistake, overstepped his bounds. But then slowly, gradually, Magnus melted into the kiss. His lips started moving against Alec's.

Alec sighed into the kiss. He'd missed this.

Magnus smiled when they parted. "Sorry," he said, "I will make it up to you later."

"Yes, you will," Alec agreed. He made sure to add a little growl to his voice that left no room for interpretation. He grinned in triumph when Magnus' cat eyes flashed gold-yellow.

Now he could leave, with the knowledge he'd left Magnus speechless, staring after him, as he joined MacLeod and Adam.

"So," Adam said, when they were in MacLeod's rental car driving to their first destination. He was sitting... no, hanging was a better description for what he was doing. He was hanging with his arm from the backrest, lying more than sitting in the passenger seat, as he grinned at Alec in the backseat. "How did you and Magnus meet?"

The memory made Alec smile; he'd been so confused back then. He'd never met anyone like Magnus, who made no secret about what he wanted. Or who he wanted. It still baffled him how he hadn't even given Jace, everyone's golden boy, including their parents', a second glance and had singled Alec out as the one deserving his attention.

Adam cocked an eyebrow at the way Alec smiled. "Clearly he made an impression."

Alec nodded. "We needed him to retrieve Clary's memories."

"Who had stolen them?" MacLeod asked.

Alec grinned. "Magnus." When he saw the confused looks between the Immortals, he quickly added, "At her mother's request!" He sagged a little in his seat when he realised how vehemently he'd defended Magnus. He needed to change the subject quickly, before Adam and MacLeod saw too deeply in his heart.

"How did you meet him?" he asked Adam. "Magnus says you and him go back a long way."

"Yeah, what's it been now? Three hundred twenty years? He wasn't even eighty at the time." Adam grinned. "A mere babe. I was travelling the Pacific Islands when I heard people talk about a wizard who could transform into a cat. Of course I had to meet him."

Watching MacLeod's face in the rearview mirror, Alec couldn't help noticing the twitch around his mouth. Maybe that was why he didn't like Magnus? Because he'd known Adam so much longer than he had?

"Magnus also told me you are much much older than him and MacLeod."

MacLeod seemed to be choking on something, even though he was neither eating nor drinking, while Adam, predictably, smirked.

"You could say that," Adam replied cryptically.

Much older than Magnus. How old could that be? Maybe a  _ thousand _ even? Alec couldn't even wrap his mind around it. They drove in relative silence for a while, silence that was except for MacLeod and Adam bickering about which route to take. Something occurred to him that he'd wondered about Magnus.

"Magnus once told me," Alec began, watching Adam raise an inquiring eyebrow at him, "that he never married." Alec didn't add it was when he'd announced his own impending nuptials.

"And he hasn't," Adam confirmed. His lips tightened, but not in an unfriendly kind of way. "But that is most definitely not my story to tell, Alec. That is one you need to hear from Magnus."

Alec nodded. He preferred it that way anyway. He hadn't really wanted Adam to spill Magnus' secrets; he'd only used it as an excuse to come with them and  _ do _ something. What he really wanted to know about Magnus, he wanted to hear from the man himself. He wanted to earn that trust. It was just interesting, that among all of Magnus' tall tales, he'd told the truth about this.

"Don't ask  _ Adam _ about his wives," MacLeod said grinning, in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood, one that was most definitely working. "We'll be here all day." When Alec's puzzled gaze met MacLeod's in the rearview mirror, he saw his dark brown eyes were sparkling with mischievous amusement. "He's had sixty eight."

"Sixty eight?" he exclaimed. So definitely at least a few thousands years old.

Adam merely smirked. "That was just the wives, Mac. I never told you about the husbands."

Alec snorted out a laugh when MacLeod took his eyes off the road for a moment to stare at Adam. "Husbands? How many?"

Adam shrugged. That was clearly all he was prepared to say about that. "Never one of our kind, though. I told you before, Duncan, that was too much of a commitment. I never loved anyone enough to spend three hundred years with them."

The look that passed between them now was so intimate, Alec almost felt like he should turn away. Adam had used the past tense; it was obvious he'd found someone who had changed his mind about that commitment.

Once again he couldn't help wondering about Magnus. He had tried a relationship with an immortal - Alec grit his teeth at the thought of Camille - because he'd had enough of losing people he loved. Whereas Adam had deliberately sought out mortal partners, preferring the pain of losing them to old age or illness over a longer term commitment. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask MacLeod and Adam about their experiences, but he decided against it in the end. They didn't know each other well enough for that kind of disclosures.

"Where are we going anyway?" he asked instead.

"Adam and I have been retracing Johnson's steps, with the aid of the Watchers. It may be a wild goose chase, but it's better than doing nothing."

"Too bad there's no app for tracing demons," Adam said, grinning.

Alec smiled. "That would be helpful."

The car came to a sudden stop. "OK, guys, we've arrived," MacLeod announced. "According to the Watchers Johnson visited this store the day all reports from his Watcher stopped coming in."

Getting out of the car, Alec strapped his bow and quiver across his shoulder, and followed the two Immortals down the street. When he realised which store they were heading for, Alec's pace faltered, an unsettling feeling taking up residence in his stomach.

"I know this place," he muttered, reading the name Nishikido on the shop awning.

MacLeod looked at him with interest. "You've been here?"

Alec shook his head. "It's wellknown as a Downworld curiosity shop."

Even though he'd never set foot inside the shop, an eery sense of deja vu took hold of him, a sensation that only grew in force as he followed Adam and MacLeod inside.

The moment he stepped across the threshold, the throbbing behind his eyes grew to an unbearable extent. It became difficult to focus; through the blur across his eyes he noticed all the various nicknacks in the shop, and MacLeod and Adam walking towards the young Asian guy at the counter.

As much as he wanted to join them and hear the conversation, he couldn't seem to make his legs move to walk in that direction. He could keep his balance, but just barely.

He didn't know how long he stood there, but MacLeod frowned at him when he and Adam almost walked into him on their way out of the shop.

"Are you OK?" Adam asked.

"Yeah." Alec shook himself out of it. "What did you find out?"

"Johnson was here a few days ago. He bought an ancient set of Kagura Suzu bells."

It took a while for the information to sink through the fog in his mind. "Kagura Suzu? That's Shinto, isn't it?"

MacLeod nodded. "Kid doesn't know why he wanted them. Says Johnson was really excited, said he'd been searching for them for a long time."

With those words he swept out of the shop, his trench coat billowing behind him. Adam gave Alec a worried frown before walking after MacLeod. Forcing his legs to move, Alec followed them.

The moment he was outside and could breathe the fresh air he felt almost instantly better. Obviously it had just been a momentary lapse; he must have been overcome with the heavy scent of incense hanging over the whole shop. There was nothing to worry about.

\---

By the end of the day he was forced to revise that conclusion. Every place they visited after the Nishikido shop, the same thing happened. While Adam and MacLeod went in to collect clues, Alec stood on the threshold, trying to hold back the nausea that assailed him. In the end he thought it best to just stay outside.

It was just the events of the previous days catching up on him. Or so he tried to tell himself. Walking into the Institute, his head was a throbbing mess. As soon as he was in the privacy of his room, he threw his bow and quiver into a corner and got out his stele in order to activate his iratze rune.

"Alec!" a voice yelled in outrage.

He turned around and saw Izzy standing in the doorway of his bedroom. Her eyes were trained on his bow and quiver lying in a heap in the corner of his room.

"By the Angel," he whispered. What had he done?

"That's a family heirloom," Izzy scolded passionately, as she walked over to pick the bow and quiver up with the reverence they deserved. Alec could only stare in shocked horror as she approached him and handed them over. Taking them from her, he almost felt a need to hug them to him to apologize for their mistreatment before he put them down on his bed.

The shock he was feeling at how he'd treated his prized bow and quiver must have shown on his face; Izzy's outraged expression slowly turned to one of concern. "Are you OK, Alec?"

Sinking onto his bed, he sighed and lifted his shirt to run his stele across the iratze rune. The relief should have been instantaneous and although the sharp pain behind his eyes did fade, the throbbing was still there.

"Just a headache, Iz."

The worry in her eyes did not go away; as always, he was unable to fool his little sister. Alec felt relief when his phone chose that moment to ring, halting the rant he was sure Izzy was about to burst into. Relief turned to joy when he saw it was Magnus calling him.

"Hey," he said into the phone, giving Izzy a helpless shrug. She still had that  _ you're not getting me off your back that easily _ look on her face.

"Alexander, congratulate me!" Magnus' voice sounded triumphant.

"Congratulations," he replied obediently. He almost asked what on, but then he realised Magnus had torn himself away from his dusty old books to phone him; that could only mean one thing. "You found the spell?"

"I found the spell," he confirmed. "It's a little late to implement it now, so let's make it first thing in the morning." His voice lost some of its enthusiasm, when he added, a little hesitant, "Come celebrate with me?"

There was nothing he wanted more after the shitty day he'd had. Izzy was still glaring at him, but he deliberately turned his back on her. "Have you eaten yet?" he asked. His mind flashed back to their flirting via text of a few nights ago.

"No." The single word came out in a husky voice. It would seem Magnus' thoughts were running in synch with his.

"Great," Alec said. "I'll pick up some takeout on my way. I should be there in about half an hour."

After he'd closed his call with Magnus, Alec took a deep breath before he turned around. To his relief, he saw Izzy's look had softened somewhat. Maybe she'd heard the longing in Alec's voice and she understood how much he just wanted to shake everything off and spend an evening with his boyfriend.

Her expression wavered for a moment, before she relented. "Go," she said softly. He kissed her cheek in passing, but her hand shot out and she stopped him with a hand on his arm. "We're not done talking about this, Alec."

He never expected anything else.

When he walked into the loft, a plastic bag of Chinese takeout in each hand, he was surprised to find Magnus alone. He stood in the middle of his living room, looking radiant in a cobalt blue shirt, one of those ones he favoured, with the plunging neckline Alec was thoroughly enjoying following all the way down. A glass of wine in his hand, he was smiling warmly at Alec in a way that was eerily reminiscent of that horrible scene before the wedding.

"I didn't know how many people would be eating with us," Alec said, holding up the two bags.

"Just us," Magnus said; there was a promise in his voice that made Alec swallow almost painfully. "I sent Adam and MacLeod packing for the night."

So it would be just the two of them? A warmth settled in the pit of his stomach and slowly spread to every extremity. Magnus' shoulders were swaying gently, drawing Alec in. With clear intent, he dropped the bags of food on the coffee table and stepped into Magnus' space, so close he could see the glitter sparkle on his eyelids.

Magnus looked up at him, a coy smile on his lips. "I'd offer you a glass of wine, but you look thirsty for something else."

The next sound that came out of him was a muffled moan, as Alec had pulled him towards him and was kissing him within an inch of his life. The glass fell out of Magnus' grasp as he locked his hands behind Alec's neck and pulled himself up until he was flush against Alec's front. Alec expected to hear the glass shatter, but when he didn't, he realised Magnus must have magicked it out of harm's way. Alec was obviously doing something wrong if Magnus still had the presence of mind to perform magic.

Upping the game, he dipped his hand underneath Magnus' shirt, and ran it along the broad, warm expanse of his back. The groan it elicited and the way Magnus ground up against him made Alec grin into the kiss. That was more like it.

Magnus looked completely ravished when Alec finally let him up for air. His eyes were gold-yellow with a question in them. Alec knew what the answer was.

"You promised me a very big bed." He surprised himself with his boldness.

"The food will get cold," Magnus pointed out. Alec knew his concern wasn't with the food. It was kind of Magnus to offer Alec a way out if he wanted it, but he really should know by now he didn't need one. He was all in.

He shrugged. "We can heat it up." He was sure that would be a doddle for Magnus' magic, but even if it wasn't, food was really the furthest thing from his mind right now.

"Yes, we can," Magnus agreed and as if by mutual agreement, they were kissing again.

Someone nudged the other and then they were push-walking each other towards the bedroom, kicking off their shoes and socks on the way there and whoa! There it really was. The very big, comfy, four poster bed he'd woken up in only yesterday, but that was now going to be put to use in a whole other way. The soft glow from a dozen large white candles lit around the room made everything feel even more ethereal. The full implication of what he was about to do hit him with full force.

Magnus seemed to understand. His smile was no less warm, but he put a little bit of distance between them; his glamour slipped back across his eyes. Alec understood it was all done to make things easier for him and it made him fall even harder for Magnus than before.

"What do you want, Alexander?"

The words spilled out without a moment's hesitation. "I want to undress you."

The cat eyes were back so fast, Alec mentally gave himself a pat on the back. His smile growing even larger, Magnus held out his arms. "Knock yourself out, Alexander."

He didn't need further encouragement. He was back in Magnus' personal space in a heartbeat. And then he frowned in confusion. The shirt didn't have any buttons. How exactly was he supposed...

Chuckling, Magnus raised his arms helpfully. Of course. It slipped over his head.

Alec grabbed the shirt, pulled it over Magnus' head and discarded it to the floor without ceremony. If Magnus objected to the treatment of his no doubt expensive garment, he didn't say anything about it. He was too busy staring at Alec's face.

Alec hoped he saw what he was looking for, because as soon as he took in the smooth perfection of Magnus' upper body, it was a small miracle he didn't start drooling. Magnus was toned, but not in that too bulky, fighter-shaped way Alec was. His shoulders were so broad and his arms... They were a work of art. If people knew what he was hiding underneath those shirts of his, they'd demand he go around shirtless all the time.

Like he had done at Pandemonium, Alec let his hands roam across every perfect ripple of muscle, revelling in every dip and hard edge. He tore his eyes away from Magnus' chest and locked them with gold-yellow cat eyes. Magnus' breath was coming more laboured now; a low moan seemed to be dragged from him when Alec's hand found the top button of his pants. His eyes never leaving Magnus' face, taking in every change in his expression, he popped open the button, but didn't venture any further. Not yet. He wanted to draw it out.

Suddenly touching Magnus wasn't enough anymore. He needed to taste him. Alec started with a kiss in the crook of Magnus' neck, gratified to hear Magnus moan and tilt his head back to grant him better access. Alec's grin grew wider, his lips moving from his neck to his shoulder. The muscle there was so defined, Alec was tempted to take a bite out of it. He grazed it lightly with his teeth, taking in Magnus' hiss and then sank lower. He tasted so good, he needed more.

As his mouth sank lower across Magnus' chest, it just made sense to sink to his knees, trailing his tongue all along his hard abs on his way down. The moment he did, Magnus looked down at him, his cat eyes wide in shock.

"Fuck, Alexander," he panted, "please, let me... Alexander..."

His fingers were pawing at Alec's shirt with urgency, so it wasn't too difficult to figure out what he was trying to communicate. Alec raised his arms obligingly; almost at once his shirt was pulled over his head and flung to the floor. Alec immediately returned to the task he'd set, licking and kissing every inch of that delectable chest. A shudder ran along his body and a groan was torn from him when he felt Magnus' hands flutter across his back.

He was still holding back, Alec could feel it. What would it take to shatter that control? In his attempt to find out, Alec circled his arms around Magnus, sliding his hands across his back, pressing their chests together as he sucked a bruising kiss against his skin.

As if the skin on skin contact wasn't enough to tear a groan out of Alec or the way Magnus swore and babbled his name, something undefinable trickled along Alec's skin, shooting out in all directions, causing pleasure wherever it went, until he was shaking with it. Magnus' magic, he realised. He'd made Magnus lose control of his magic. He'd feel a sense of triumph if he wasn't trying desperately not to come from the sheer pleasure coursing through his body.

"Sorry, sorry," Magnus was babbling again. "Alexander, that wasn't... Shouldn't have happened..." It was fucking adorable to see the always so eloquent Magnus Bane reduced to incoherent panting.

Taking a deep breath to get himself under control, Alec sank back on his heels and looked up at Magnus. The look of sheer adoration he saw on Magnus' face was enough to turn any man humble. It was almost too much to take in. Alec found he had to avert his eyes.

"As much as I loved it," he managed to croak, "it's going to be over pretty quickly if you keep doing it."

"Won't, won't," Magnus assured.

Enough with the teasing. Alec needed Magnus naked now, as soon as possible. He popped another button on his pants and another, the back of his fingers lightly brushing over the growing hardness there, but he didn't let them linger. He needed Magnus out of his pants. He pulled them down quickly. Whoa, no underwear.

"I was expecting you," Magnus said, slightly breathless.

Alec sat back and just watched, took all of him in, as Magnus stepped gracefully out of his pants. How could any man look as beautiful as Magnus did right now? His chest rising and falling fast with his shallow breaths, his beautiful tanned skin glistening, his cock erect. He was uncircumcised, of course. Alec had never seen an uncircumcised penis. Unable to stop himself, Alec ran his hands up those muscular thighs; fascinated, he watched Magnus' cock twitch at the touch. Alec's cock responded in kind.

"Where do you want me, Alexander?" he asked, looking at Alec with hooded eyes.

Alec had to clear his throat to answer. "The bed," he said, before adding, "please?"

Magnus' eyes sparkled and then he turned and OK, Alec had to grab his dick through his pants when his eyes fell on that pert naked behind. Every single part of Magnus took his breath away.

As Magnus got on the bed, Alec rose to his feet. His cock felt so hard, he really needed to get as naked as Magnus was. But all he seemed to be able to do was look at Magnus, at the way he lounged on the bed; he knew damn well how amazing he looked, what he was doing to Alec.

Alec wanted to get naked,  _ needed _ to get naked, but now as he stood there, with Magnus' eyes on him, devouring him from head to toe, he suddenly felt self-conscious. He licked his lips, frozen in place.

And then Magnus' hand slid a trail down his chest. His legs parted, his eyes locked with Alec's, he wrapped his hand around his cock, and, an infuriating smile on his lips, started pumping it leisurely.

Bashfulness was instantly pushed to the side. Alec had never stripped faster out of his pants and underwear. He kicked them to the side and fell onto the bed, right into Magnus' open arms. They both sighed, as Alec covered him with his body, and they were finally touching skin to skin, their lips instantly finding each other.

They kissed hungrily, their bodies entwined. Magnus' legs wrapped around Alec's to pull him even closer. Their hard cocks sliding against each other was enough to make Alec's eyes roll to the back of his head. He deepened their kiss, his hips continuing their slow grind into Magnus', chasing that exquisite thrill.

Considering how he'd just marvelled at how muscled Magnus was, he shouldn't have been as surprised as he was by his strength; Magnus used his lock on Alec's hips to flip him onto his back.

Alec huffed out a startled breath as Magnus looked down at him. "Hey," he said with a dazzling smile. The pupils in his cat eyes were dilated to black bullets, almost swallowing up the entire surrounding yellow iris. It was mesmerizing.

"Uh, hi?" Alec replied somewhat confused.

Magnus dipped his head and sprinkled kisses along Alec's jawline, down his chin and onto his neck, where he lavished attention on the deflect rune with a contented hum. It didn't take long before Alec was squirming and moaning, even more so when Magnus adjusted his position until he was lying on top of Alec, who let his legs fall open to accommodate him.

Continuing his trail down even further, Magnus' body slithered lower, the friction against Alec's cock sweet torture. "How are you doing?" he asked, pausing between each word to pepper more kisses along Alec's skin.

Alec frowned at the question. "Pretty good?"

Magnus looked up, his expression beaming. "And you're looking pretty good too. What I meant was, can you last a little longer?"

Understanding dawning, Alec pointed to the rune on his right flank. "Stamina rune. I'm good."

Magnus' eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. "Stamina rune?" he repeated, sighing with bliss. "Oh, Alexander, you are so good to me."

He slithered back up Alec's body, applying just enough pressure where it counted to make Alec's eyes cross; his hips bucking up, chasing that sweet friction, Alec cursed in a language he was pretty sure he didn't even speak.

Magnus mouthed at Alec's chin. "In that case, can I blow you, Alexander? I've been thinking about it..." He stopped himself. Alec had a good suspicion he'd been about to say he'd been thinking about it since the moment they met, and yeah, maybe an overshare. "For a very long time," he finally added.

Asking if he could blow Alec? By the Angel, was he serious? His cock jerked at the thought. "Yes," Alec panted. Stamina rune or not, there was only so much he could take. "Yes, please..." He swallowed and tried again. "If you feel so inclined."

Magnus sniggered against his skin and then slid back down. Alec didn't get a chance to wonder what it would feel like. His head shot back with the pleasure of it, his hips bucking helplessly into the slick warmth that enveloped his cock. "Shit," he wheezed out, throwing his head hard against the pillow. He wanted to lift his head, wanted to watch, but he didn't think he could take the sight.

And then there was no more room for any thoughts as Magnus sucked him all the way down. A litany of "fuck fuck fuck" was all he could think and squeeze past his lips, his hips arching up into that eager mouth. After all that, it was hardly surprising he came quickly, stamina rune notwithstanding. With a startled cry, he fell over the edge, falling back into the sheets as he rode out the tremors.

It took him a while to come down, floating down from that amazing orgasm. Registering the pleasant weight on top of him, it was only then he realised something. Magnus! Had he even gotten off yet?

"Magnus?" He looked down to find Magnus still lying between his legs, smiling happily, his head resting on Alec's chest. "What do you need..." Alec fumbled around for a hard cock that needed his hand or whatever Magnus wanted, but when he moved his leg he was stunned to find he wasn't hard anymore.

"I'm good, darling," he slurred against Alec's skin.

Wait, what? Magnus had come just from blowing Alec? That was...

Alec grinned. That was fucking  _ hot _ . He definitely needed to try that as well.

It was much later when Alec realised the ants under his skin had gone.

===

After Magnus had cleaned them up - a quick snap of his fingers did the trick - they ate the takeout right there in bed. Alec didn't seem at all concerned he was naked. In fact, he kept grinning at Magnus in a self-satisfied way that made him contemplate going for round two right away. With a belly full of food, though, the events of the past days caught up with them and they fell asleep.

Everything was dark around them when Magnus woke up a few hours later. His arms were wrapped around Alexander's large frame, his nose buried against the back of his neck. Breathing him in deeply, that tenderness swept through Magnus again; not for the first time he wondered what he'd done in his long life to deserve this angel.

His hand that was already splayed across Alec's chest moved slightly; with a fluttery light touch he passed it along the pecs covered with thick hair and down his hard abs. As his hand started slipping lower, Alec made a soft noise. It hadn't been Magnus' intention to wake him up, but if he was...

Oh, yes, something was definitely up. Magnus grinned when his fingers felt the growing hardness beneath them. That was probably the result of his stamina rune.

A stamina rune. He had a fucking stamina rune. Of course he fucking did. Because Magnus was usually that lucky.

Not that Magnus was doing any better, and he didn't even have a stamina rune as an excuse. Nestled happily against Alec's backside, his own cock was waking up. Four hundred years old and Alexander Lightwood made him horny like a teenager. Pressed up against Alec's butt, it was no big mystery what his cock wanted. In time, he was sure, it would get its wish. In the meantime Magnus would take everything Alexander was willing to offer.

More appreciative noises were coming from Alec when Magnus ran a caressing hand all along his side and down his hip. With a pleased sigh, Alec turned his head and kissed him. It was a sloppy kiss; he wasn't fully awake yet and the angle was awkward.

"Is it morning yet?"

Magnus' heart lurched at the sleep-soaked hoarseness of Alec's voice. So did his cock, actually. "No," he said, mouthing a kiss along Alec's cheek. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

"OK," Alec said and turned away again.

Magnus didn't get a chance to feel disappointed. In the space of a heartbeat Alec had turned in his arms, had rolled him on his back and was kissing him deeply. Every inch of Magnus' body was set alight with all that weight pinning him down. His cock growing heavy with want, he responded to Alec's hungry kisses with the same urgent need, wrapping his legs around Alec's hips to keep him there.

Alec was certainly very adept at following his cues. His mouth was still devouring Magnus', but his hips were doing wonderful things. Magnus arched up to meet Alec's lazy, unhurried thrusts, a groan being torn from him at the delicious friction of their cocks sliding against each other. Somewhere he found the presence of mind to flick on the light with a snap of his fingers. He needed to see Alec in all his gorgeous glory.

He could lose himself completely like this and he was in fact just doing that when Alec stopped kissing him. Magnus blinked up in surprise; leaning up on his elbows, Alec was looking down at him. His playful smile, along with the gleam in his eyes made a shiver run down Magnus' spine in anticipation. He looked like someone on a mission.

That impression was confirmed when he used one hand to untangle Magnus' legs from around his hips. What was he planning? Just when they were setting up such a lovely rhythm between them. As he let his legs fall back to the bed, wondering what Alec was going to suggest, Alec leaned down again and whispered against Magnus' mouth.

"My turn now."

The groan those words dragged from Magnus came from all the way down his toes. He could only stare at the top of Alec's head as he took the scenic route down, kissing along Magnus' chest.

"I'm immortal," he finally managed to hiss, "but you'll be the death of me, Alexander."

Alec raised his head just long enough to grin at him, thus proving his point, and returned to lavishing attention on Magnus' skin. Magnus couldn't deny he'd fantasized about those beautiful lips wrapped around his cock for... well, pretty much as long as he'd known Alexander. Who could blame him, when that pretty mouth was always hanging open when he was in his presence. The fantasies practically wrote themselves.

He was happily writhing underneath the assault of Alec's mouth, when it all suddenly stopped. His heart speeding up, Magnus looked down. Was Alec losing his nerve? Because that was OK. His mouth opened to tell Alec he didn't have to do anything he didn't want to, when his breath stuttered to a halt at what he saw.

Alec was lying on his stomach between Magnus' legs, leaning on his elbows, just looking at Magnus' cock where it lay on his belly. It was a mystery how a man who looked at another man's cock with that much hunger could ever have been mistaken for straight.

"Alec?"

His voice sounding almost dreamy, he replied, "You're really, remarkably pretty."

Magnus wasn't sure if he was talking to him or his penis. He would have giggled if he wasn't so turned on. And then, all amusement vanished when Alec licked a stripe all the way along the length of Magnus' cock. His eyes rolling to the back of his head, Magnus moaned his approval; he couldn't stop looking at Alec, drinking him in where he was lying between Magnus' legs. His broad back, his naked butt sticking out, his hairy legs splayed out and fuck, his face. Magnus couldn't look away.

And then Alec scrunched up his nose, in much the same way he had when Magnus had offered him a cocktail.

"Don't like it?" he asked, his heart thudding out of his chest. Again, that was... OK. Lots of people didn't like giving blowjobs. Magnus would get over the blow, no pun intended. Eventually.

Alec looked up through his eyelashes and the look Magnus saw there made him blurt out a breathless, "Fuck!" That little, dirty, no-good, fucking tease. He really  _ had _ created a monster.

"Not little," Alec said, Magnus' first clue he was in deep, deep trouble. Not only had he rambled all of that out loud, but he was clearly not prepared for what Alec was about to unleash.

With one hand wrapped around the base of Magnus' cock, somewhat hesitantly at first, Alec took him into his mouth. It was like fire igniting inside Magnus; he had to fight to keep his magic in check; it wanted to shoot out in all directions. Yes, Alec was feeling his way around and he could only take so much of him, but what he lacked in finesse he made up for with enthusiasm. Sometimes he abandoned his cock to suck hard kisses into his inner thigh, before he lapped around Magnus' cock with his tongue and taking him back in his mouth.

The humming noises he was making reverberated all along his cock and across his whole body. He arched helplessly into Alec's exploring mouth, but he never stopped watching, overcome by the sight of his cock disappearing in and out of that exquisite mouth. The view was breathtaking. His fantasies didn't hold a candle to reality.

Alec was slowly but thoroughly taking Magnus' apart, and as much as he wanted to come in his mouth, he couldn't. Not now. His heart was too full.

"Alexander." He patted his head to get his attention. "Please."

He didn't mean to sound like he was begging; his eyes wide, Alec looked up, Magnus' cock slipping out of his mouth. It was a miracle Magnus didn't come at the mere sight of him, his mouth hanging open, his lips glistening with saliva, his hazel eyes hooded.

"Come here," Magnus said softly. "I need..." He needed to see Alec's face when he came.

A blinding smile on his face, Alec scooted back up. Magnus gathered him close immediately, pulling him into a searing kiss that bared his whole heart. He could taste himself in Alec's mouth and that made it even better. His legs wrapped around Alec's waist again, but he locked his ankles together this time. He wasn't going anywhere.

Alec immediately got the hint and started moving against him. The slide of their cocks was even better now with Alec's saliva coating his cock acting as lubricant. Oh, fuck. Alec's mouth on his cock. That had happened. That had really fucking happened.

He was desperate to come now. He planted his heels on Alec's butt, driving him even harder into him as he arched up. Soon they weren't kissing anymore, just panting into each other's mouths, their movements too erratic for kissing. Magnus was losing himself completely in pleasure, digging his fingers wherever they found purchase, trying not to fly apart. If this was how he felt just from them grinding up against each other, what would happen when Alec actually fucked him?

That thought sent him over the edge. His mouth falling open, he frantically tried to breathe, riding out the waves of pleasure crashing into him. His legs falling from Alec's back, he was coming down gently when he noticed Alec was still grinding up against him, still chasing that release. For a brief moment Magnus contemplated sending a burst of magic through him to help him along, but no. He'd promised he wouldn't. The non-magical way would have to do.

His eyes never leaving Alec's face, watching pearls of perspiration glistening on his lip, Magnus wrapped his hand around Alec's cock and jerked him off quickly. At the feel of the hot weight in his palm, Magnus' cock gave a pathetic little lurch, as if it wanted to play again, even though it was utterly spent.

With Alec pumping into his fist, it only took a few strokes before he came apart with a startled gasp, his face the most beautiful thing Magnus had ever seen. His heart felt like it might burst wide open, watching Alec's eyelids flutter as he gasped for breath. He wanted to commit that image to his memory for all time.

"Am I too heavy?" Alec asked some time later from where he'd collapsed on top of Magnus, his head in the crook of his neck.

"Not in the least," Magnus replied truthfully, his fingers carding through Alec's hair. "You can sleep for a few hours before our guests arrive."

"Good," Alec said on a yawn.

Magnus remembered to snap away the mess they'd made between them, but then he followed Alec into sleep.

\---

When he woke again he blinked his eyes against the bright daylight streaming in through the half-open curtains. Once he could focus he found Alec watching him, an inscrutable expression on his face.

Shit, he must be looking at him like that because he looked awful, his makeup smeared all across his face. Alec had never seen him look anything but completely put together.

His worries were quickly chased away when a smile broke across Alec's face and he leaned down to kiss Magnus sweetly. He reached up a hand to tangle in Alec's unruly mop of hair and returned the kiss with as much tenderness as it was given.

Breaking the kiss, Alec looked away for a moment before he could meet Magnus' eyes again. Something was clearly on his mind. It wasn't regret; Magnus had no worries about that. And then it hit him, when Alec started to talk and tumbled over his own words.

"I... Magnus, I... I want to say... I mean, I don't know..."

He silenced the onslaught of words in much the same way he once had, but this time he allowed his finger to touch those luscious lips. "I understand," was all he said. And he really did. Everything that had happened was bound to be overwhelming for someone as young as Alec. It was all too clear to Magnus he was having trouble finding the right words to express what he felt.

"You always fucking do," Alec muttered under his breath, but before Magnus could wonder about that reply, he grinned and bit the pad of Magnus' finger.

Magnus' cock gave a little twitch. Really? he asked it incredulously. Again? Last night wasn't enough?

"Alexander," he protested weakly when Alec's grin got even more mischievous and he sucked his whole finger into his mouth. Flashes of memory of Alec's sloppy blowjob just a few hours ago immediately shot through his brain, sending the message straight to his cock. No, no, they couldn't. They really couldn't.

With a sharp sense of regret, he pulled his finger from Alec's mouth. He smiled warmly at the disappointment Alec tried but failed to hide. Damn, that stamina rune.

"As much as I'd love to start something, I told everyone to meet here so we could start the location spell," Magnus explained. "And I'd really rather not give them a show."

"Fine," Alec agreed. Was he pouting? That was something he'd never seen from Alec before, Magnus realised with a slight frown.

"But you can join me in the shower," he offered as a consolation prize.

That chased some of the gloominess off Alec's face. His grin returning, he got out of bed. At the sight of all that naked skin, Magnus did some quick calculations in his head on whether or not they could  _ make _ time. He almost bit right through his bottom lip when Alec decided he really needed to do a stretch. That little...

Not little, Alec's voice from last night shot through his head when Alec turned around towards him and flashed that grin. He seemed to be extraordinarily pleased with the way Magnus' eyes were devouring every inch of him. No, no, they couldn't, there was no time, he kept reminding himself, as he got out of bed too. The appreciative roam down Magnus' body from Alec's eyes was definitely not helping him keep his resolve.

In the end, showering together had its charm too. All that naked skin on display, running soapy hands all over every delicious part of Alec's body, taking in his happy moans and sighs. After he'd taken his makeup off and joined Alec in the shower, he realised this would be the first time he saw the real Magnus, the one under the layers of makeup. Judging from the way Alec gasped and the slow, huge grin that broke out across his face, that wasn't a disappointment. He pulled Magnus into his arms and they stood there for quite a while, kissing beneath the shower spray, before they actually got around to washing themselves. Or actually each other, as it turned out.

It was all so pleasant Magnus forgot about Alec's weird reaction just a while ago.

They were all prim and proper by the time their first guests arrived: Raphael and Simon, who had been driven there in Simon's van by Luke. Magnus had made sure to draw the curtains to block out the daylight before they got there.

"Luke will be right up," Raphael explained. "He wanted to call Jocelyn first." He suddenly stopped and sniffed the air, a disgusted look appearing on his face. Those damn heightened vampire senses. " _ Dios mio _ ," he said, "that's more than I needed to know."

Simon's reaction was more one of surprised confusion. "Whoa! So much for that virgin Shadowhunter energy."

Magnus' hand had already reached out to slap Simon upside the head, but Raphael beat him to it. Magnus quickly made sure Alec wasn't feeling too awkward about the whole situation, but to his relief and amusement, he simply rolled his eyes. That was probably because he didn't care about Raphael or Simon's opinion, Magnus realised, when the three Shadowhunters arrived and Alec's level of discomfort visibly grew.

"Well, well," Clary said, grinning from ear to ear, "look who didn't come home last night."

Alec ducked his head, smiling awkwardly, when Jace patted him on the back. As for Izzy, she looked at Magnus as if she was going to hug him or something. He almost wanted to assure her it hadn't been a hardship to take her brother's virginity. Magnus wanted to burst into giggles at the thought.

Fortunately, for everyone involved, MacLeod and Methos chose that moment to burst into the room. MacLeod was carrying a backpack, the contents of which he dumped onto Magnus' coffee table without further explanation. All sorts of nicknacks tumbled out, the connection between any of them or why they were now spilled all over his coffee table, eluded Magnus for the time being.

"Hey, a dreidel," Simon called out, reaching out to pick it up. His fangs bared, he pulled his hand back with a hiss when it almost came into contact with a cross.

"Be careful!" Raphael was at his side immediately, examining his hand from all angles. Apparently he did care.

But with that ill-considered action of Simon's, the connection between the items came into focus. A dreidel. A cross. Kagura Suzu. A Kartika. Those were just the ones he could identify.

"Am I seeing this right?" Alec asked. He was holding his head, a deep frown on his face, almost as if he were in pain.

Magnus didn't like the look of it, but decided to wait until they were alone to ask. "Every religion is represented here," he confirmed. He turned a frown on Methos and MacLeod. "The question is, why?"

"Wait," Alec interrupted. "Are those the Kagura Suzu the Nishikido guy said Johnson bought from him?"

Methos smiled at Alec with a sense of pleased astonishment. Magnus' heart swelled with pride in Alec. "Yes, when we retraced Johnson's steps we realised he'd retrieved items from every address, some in less legal ways than others. Our contacts in Paris confirmed he did the same there."

MacLeod nodded. "It was only a matter of returning to Johnson's place and retrieving every item on the list." Which Magnus was sure was another thing that happened completely legally, judging from the smirk on Methos' face.

"But what was he planning to do with them?" Clary asked. By now the whole group had gathered around the coffee table.

Magnus sighed. "I'm assuming, from the way you dumped them here, I'm supposed to find out."

Methos grinned. "I will help with the research."

Magnus shook his head in exasperation. From the corner of his eye he saw Alec narrow his eyes in what almost looked like mistrust. Filing away yet another note to ask Alec about later, he clapped his hands together.

"In the meantime, we have a location spell to perform." An ancient parchment appeared in his hand when he snapped his fingers. "I'll let you do the honours, my dear," he told Clary, handing her the parchment, "seeing how you did such a great job the last time." She took the drawing from him with a smile. "You know where all the supplies are."

As she walked to the other room to do her part, Magnus was not unaware of the looks being shared between Alec and Jace. No doubt they were recalling the events of that summoning. Though he knew Alec and Jace were on great terms again, not in the least after the way Alec fought to get him back, Magnus couldn't help but wonder what the situation was now. He and Alec hadn't really talked about it, about his feelings for Jace.

While they waited for Clary to finish the diagram, Magnus started assembling the other items he needed. "First," he said, "we need something that belonged to Camille." He swivelled around towards Izzy; the pout on her face said she already knew what he was going to ask. "Sorry, Isabelle." He smiled when she unclasped her necklace and handed it to him. "You can have it back when we are done."

Holding the chain in his hand, he couldn't help reading the inscription on the stone.  _ Amor verus numquam moritur.  _ He shook his head as he read the words. How had he ever traded his London townhouse for this gem? But more importantly, how had he ever mistaken what he'd had with Camille for true love? His feelings had been true, hers not so much.

He shook off the feeling and handed the jewel to Raphael. Next, he drew the needed blood from Simon, catching it in a small glass vial. Closely supervised by Raphael of course, in case Magnus harmed his precious fledgling. When Magnus was done, Simon stuck his pricked finger in his mouth and sucked on it. Raphael's eyes widened and even though he didn't need to breathe, he drew in a sharp gasp. Magnus couldn't help snorting, which resulted in Raphael glaring at him, a very  _ look who's talking  _ challenge in his eyes.

He was probably right, Magnus admitted, with a tilt of his head. He was just as bad where Alec was concerned. His eyes sought out the man in question; Magnus frowned when he found Alec on the other side of the room, the pained look he'd noticed before still in place. Worry compelled him closer.

"Alexander, is everything all right?"

The frown deepened as he looked at Magnus, but then a slow smile appeared. "Yeah, just a little headache." He tried to smile, for Magnus' sake no doubt, but it looked remarkably forced. "Look, Magnus, do you need me for this?"

Still eyeing him with concern, he shook his head. "No, for the spell itself I only need Raphael and Simon, the people with the closest connection to Camille." Aside from himself, that was.

That thought seemed to cross Alec's mind as well; that same inscrutable look Magnus had seen earlier had returned. "In that case, do you mind if I take a walk? Clear my head?"

"No, of course not. Some fresh air might do you good."

"Yeah."

There was still something hiding behind those hazel eyes that Magnus could not decipher, but then Alec smiled and leaning down kissed him so sweetly, he couldn't help humming in pleasure. Despite the warmth that spread across his body at the kiss, Magnus' frown returned as he watched Alec walk out the door.

Something was definitely off.

When he turned around, he realised everyone in the room was watching him. "What?" he asked, his worries about Alec making him sound harsher than he had intended. "Never seen a man kiss his boyfriend before?"

Everyone immediately averted their eyes and pretended they were minding their own business, looking either guilty or amused. Except for Izzy. He noticed the same worry he was feeling displayed on her face as she watched the door through which Alec had just disappeared.

Her eyes moved from the door to Magnus. "You've noticed it too?" she asked.

Magnus nodded. "I started noticing this morning." He twisted his lips. He might have been a little too distracted by all the nakedness to have noticed it before. "When did you?"

"Yesterday evening," she told him. "He's been complaining about headaches."

"Shouldn't his iratze take care of that?"

Her face twisted with concern, she nodded. "It should."

"We really need to find out what's going on there, Isabelle."

She gave him an exasperated look. "Have you met my brother? He's the poster child for suffer in silence must not bother other people with my problems."

Magnus winked at her slyly. "Between the two of us, I'm sure we'll get it out of him."

Some of the sparkle returned to her dark eyes as she smiled back at him. Turning away from her, his own smile faded. Izzy's words confirmed there was something he should be worried about. She said it started the previous evening so it wasn't anything Magnus had done last night. Not that he had any fears about that; Alec had been  _ very _ into everything they'd done. It just meant he and Alec needed to have a conversation, as soon as could be arranged.

Right on cue, Clary announced she'd finished her drawing.

"OK." Magnus addressed everyone. "As Raphael and Simon are the only two needed for this spell, I suggest everyone else stay in this room." He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows at Jace. "For everyone's safety."

As Jace pulled a face at Magnus, he ushered Raphael and Simon into the next room. Simon looked a little apprehensive, but Raphael was giving him a reassuring nod. Magnus could not deny it was actually quite nice to see this side of Raphael. Not that he would ever admit it.

Clary had done a great job with the diagram, which Magnus never doubted she would. The whole floor now looked like a simplified, symbolic rendition of the planet in blue and green colours. With a snap of his fingers, three blue lit candles appeared on the edge of the map. Careful not to disturb Clary's hard work, Magnus placed the vial and ruby at the center. Straightening, he motioned the vampires into place.

"We don't have to hold hands for this spell, do we?" Raphael asked testily.

Magnus swept his hand around gracefully, indicating the sheer size of the map on the floor. "No, not for this spell. Unless vampires have extendable arms."

Simon sniggered, which earned him a glare from Raphael. Dutifully he took up his spot at the opposite end of Magnus and Raphael.

With everyone in place, Magnus raised his hands and started the incantation. Soon the vial began to shake, the blood in it hearing the call of the spell and responding to it. As Magnus' voice rose and the incantation grew stronger, the vial vibrated faster and faster, until with a snap, it shattered into pieces. The blood oozed out and onto the map.

===

As soon as he stepped outside and into the fresh air he felt like he could breathe again. It overwhelmed him to a point that he staggered on his feet and had to sit down right there on the building's steps. Holding his head in his hands, Alec tried to control his breathing and wondered what had happened.

The throb behind his eyes was back with a vengeance. He'd reactivated his iratze rune as soon as he stepped out of the loft, but it wasn't kicking in at all. Why was the pain back? He'd felt fantastic all morning; who wouldn't after that amazing night with Magnus? What exactly had changed? Trying to pinpoint the exact moment only made his head hurt more.

Wait. Now he remembered. He was pretty sure the pain came flooding back as soon as Adam and MacLeod had walked in. And now that he thought about it, he'd spent a big part of his day yesterday with them before the pain started. Could he be having some sort of reaction to the Immortals? Maybe he should ask Magnus if there was a precedent. Of course that would involve telling Magnus, something he was still reluctant to do. It was bad enough that Izzy was worried about him.

"Alec!"

Lifting his head, Alec blinked a few times before he recognised Luke's face hovering in front of him, his expression worried. Oh, that was right; Raphael had told them he was out here, talking to Jocelyn on the phone. When he looked down, Alec saw Luke's phone was still in his hand. He'd probably closed his conversation with Jocelyn to see if Alec was all right. And from the look on Luke's face, it hadn't been the first time he'd called Alec's name trying to get his attention.

"I'm sorry..."

Luke waved his attempt at an apology away. "Never mind that. Are you OK?"

He tried to smile reassuringly. Judging from the grimace on Luke's face he wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"OK, hold on," Luke said. He walked to Simon's van parked in front of the building and returned with a small bottle of water.

Alec gulped it down gratefully. Somehow it did make him feel slightly better. Maybe he was just dehydrated. When he lowered the bottle, Luke had joined him; he was sitting a few steps below Alec, watching him with concern.

"Just a bit of a headache," Alec assured.

The skeptical look on Luke's face made no secret of how much he wasn't buying it. "You've been through a lot lately, Alec," he said. "Don't underestimate what it takes out of you to lose your parabatai. Trust me, I know."

Alec gave him a considering look. That hadn't even occurred to him. "But Jace is back now." In fact, the connection between them felt stronger than ever.

"That doesn't take away that he was gone for months. The strain that takes on a parabatai bond shouldn't be ignored." Luke sighed. "My parabatai bond with Valentine was shattered when I was turned into a werewolf, but even before that it had been weakened by Valentine's descent into madness."

Alec thought of how he had weakened his bond with Jace deliberately, a decision he had come to regret in the months that followed. Watching the guilt fly across Alec's face, Luke smiled with understanding.

"Have you even given yourself, and Jace, a chance to heal from that?"

He shook his head. "There hasn't been time. Jace was still recovering from his ordeal and then we were thrown into this Leraje mess..."

"All I'm saying is," Luke added, when Alec fell silent, "that you need to let the bond heal in the same way your body needs to heal."

That certainly made sense. Taking in his advice, Alec became aware that Luke was watching him closely. Was there something else on his mind?

Luke chuckled when Alec frowned at him in question. "You are doing a great job as acting head of the Institute, Alec, but you can't take on every burden. When the load on your shoulders is that heavy, you have to be able to share."

Alec bristled, which only made Luke laugh harder. "I share," he began defensively, but couldn't get the rest out with a straight face. "OK, fine, so maybe I can work on sharing," he admitted with a grin.

"Talk to someone." Luke considered this for a moment. "I hear your parents are back in Idris?"

The thought made Alec huff out a snort. As if he could talk to his parents about this. He'd finally got his mom to stop referring to Magnus as 'that Warlock' or 'that Downworlder' simply by walking away from the conversation every time she did.

Luke grimaced when he saw the look on Alec's face. "OK, if not your parents, Isabelle. Or Jace." He smiled at Alec warmly. "Or Magnus."

Alec couldn't help ducking his head, an instant smile appearing at the thought of Magnus. Luke's next words made Alec's attention snap back towards the other man, his mouth falling open in shock.

"You and Magnus are more important in the Shadowworld than you realise, Alec."

"What?" He floundered. "How?"

"You're not just a Shadowhunter openly in a relationship with a Downworlder. You're the acting head of the New York Institute and the High Warlock of Brooklyn!"

To be honest, Alec hadn't really thought that far ahead. All he had considered was that he liked Magnus and wanted to be with him. The thought of being a role model to other people in a similar situation hadn't really entered his mind.

"Is that what they're saying about us in the Downworld?" he asked hesitantly, not sure he wanted to know.

Smiling, Luke nodded. "You two have become an inspiration, Alec. People feel like they no longer need to hide their relationships."

Alec couldn't help staring. "Inspiration?" he stammered.

"Look at Jocelyn and me. We could never openly acknowledge our love for each other." He grinned. "Until a certain Shadowhunter made a fool of the entire Clave by kissing the High Warlock of Brooklyn in front of everyone." Recalling that amazing kiss, Alec couldn't help grinning back at Luke. But then Luke's expression grew more serious. "Just remember, Alec, you have to realise that Magnus couldn't have done that. I couldn't have done that."

Thinking of Meliorn, Alec nodded in understanding. "Not without dire consequences."

"Never forget your position of privilege," Luke warned.

Guilt swept through Alec when he thought of what had almost happened with Meliorn. He swore he would never let anything like that happen again. Not on his watch. He had to do better as head of the Institute. He nodded at Luke in acknowledgement of his wise words.

As Alec finished the rest of the water, they sat in relaxed silence.

"Are you feeling better?" Luke asked after a while.

To his surprise, he found that he did. Maybe Luke was right and he just needed to learn to share his worries, unburden himself. One of the first things he promised himself to do, was apologize to Izzy about all the times he gave her a hard time over Meliorn.

As if his thoughts had conjured her up, Izzy appeared in the doorway. Crouching down beside him, she looked at him, her dark eyes filled with worry. "How are you feeling, big brother?"

"Much better," he could tell her in all honesty. His accompanying smile must have convinced her, because she smiled back. "Just a little overwhelmed by everything."

Nodding, Izzy threw her arm around his shoulder. "Just remember we're all here when you want to talk."

"I was just telling him the same thing," Luke added with a grin.

As Izzy tightened her grip on him a little, Alec put his arm around her waist and held her close.

After a while, she pulled back a little. "I just came down to tell you that Magnus has found Camille."

Something ugly reared up inside him at the sound of that name, something Alec did not recognise as him at all. Shaking his head in confusion, he got up, and followed Izzy and Luke inside.

They walked through the door just in time to see Raphael and Simon step through the portal Magnus had created for them. Magnus turned around when the portal snapped out of existence, his eyes falling on Alec. When Alec smiled at him, the line of worry that had appeared on his brow smoothed as he smiled, small and hesitant though the smile was. Alec had to do something about that; he could not leave Magnus in uncertainty.

He was at his side in a few long strides. "We'll talk about this," he promised in a low voice meant for only the two of them. Something light burst in his chest when Magnus smiled at him radiantly. "So," he said, raising his voice, "you found Camille?"

His lips twisted, Magnus' face was a picture of incredulity and outrage. "That little snake is holed up in the very London townhouse I traded her necklace for! I wonder how she got it from the latest owner."

Watching all the hustle and bustle around him, Alec realised that they were going to London. Right this instant. "My bow is still at the Institute," he realised.

Magnus smiled enigmatically. "Where is it?"

"Uh... my room? On my bed?" At least that was where he'd left it when he came over to Magnus' loft the previous evening.

His smile growing even wider, Magnus snapped his fingers. His bow and quiver were suddenly strapped across Alec's shoulder.

Delighted, and not a little turned on, Alec grinned. "You're the best boyfriend I've ever had."

Magnus huffed. "I'm the only boyfriend you've ever had."

They both seemed to realise at the same time what they'd just said; similar looks of astonishment on both faces, they stared at each other. They'd said it. They'd called each other boyfriends.

"If you two are done making googly eyes at each other," Jace's amused voice sounded behind them, "we need someone to open a portal to London."

Despite the urgency, it still took a little while before they could snap themselves out of the wonder of that moment.

\---

Camille's choice of Magnus' former townhouse as a hideaway was definitely a lucky break. It meant that Magnus knew the place, had been there before, so could open up a portal right into the house itself. They walked through, their weapon at the ready; Alec had an arrow nocked just in case. Magnus thought it was a bit overkill, seeing how Camille would probably be alone, but Alec wasn't taking any chances with that slippery weasel.

With Adam and MacLeod, along with Luke, staying behind to get a head start on the research, the rest of them stepped out of the portal into opulent hallways, high ceilings with ornate chandeliers, marble floors. Magnus was the only one who wasn't staring around in awe.

"You traded all of this," Izzy said, her voice subdued with wonder, "for  _ this _ ?" Her fingers traced the ruby that was hanging from her neck again.

Magnus smiled at her wryly. "Love makes you do the strangest things, Isabelle." He shrugged at Alec, as if in apology, but it really wasn't necessary.

Whatever he was feeling, gazing at the luxury around them, it wasn't jealousy. What Magnus had had with Camille ended over a hundred and thirty years ago. But what he was feeling was so powerful he almost wished he could go back to jealousy. That ugliness he'd felt before was coiling around his gut, twisting up his insides until he could taste bile in his mouth.

As they cautiously made their way further into the house, a loud voice suddenly echoed off the wide walls. "Strange, I don't remember inviting Shadowhunters and their pet Warlock to brunch."

Rolling his eyes, Magnus pointed to the left. "This way."

They were led into a big room, which appeared to be a dining room. The heavy drapes were drawn closed, the room illuminated by candles. In the middle of the room stood a large dining table, at the head of which sat Camille. Her 'brunch' was lying on the table in front of her. Her blond head towards Camille, the woman lying on the table appeared to be awake. Her eyes were open, but she wasn't moving; Alec realised she was being held immobile by the vampire trance she was under.

Camille looked up as they walked in. A mocking smile on her face, she swept her hand over the table. "I wasn't expecting guests. I'm afraid there won't be enough for everyone."

In his head, Alec knew that his first concern should be with the girl, but his attention was transfixed on the vampire. The blackness was filling him completely at the sight of her. If only he could attribute it to jealousy; that would be so much easier to understand.

Camille's eyes swept across everyone, ending with Magnus. "Hello, my love," she said, her voice icily sweet. "I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away."

Magnus' expression was one of boredom as he looked around. "Oh, you've redecorated." He scrunched up his nose in distaste. "I don't like it."

Camille smiled sweetly before she dropped all pretence and gave them a withering look. "There's nothing you can do. Your little friend Simon asked to be turned into a vampire, remember?"

"Whereas this young lady was delivered by Domino's?" Clary asked in a harsh voice.

Camille stared at her hard before she made up her mind. She snapped her fingers above the girl's head; that seemed to break the trance. Sitting up, she looked around in fear and bewilderment.

With Clary and Izzy's help, the girl stumbled off the table. "Get as far away as you can," Clary told her. Not needing to be told twice, the young woman quickly made her escape.

"If we find out there's been others, we won't hesitate to arrest you," Jace promised.

Those words propelled Camille out of her chair. A chilling smile on her face, she walked towards them. The closer she came, the more the thing around Alec's gut tightened, choking him until he could barely breathe. To make matters worse, she instantly singled him out, circling him like some kind of predator with its prey.

"Still not tired of your pretty boy, Magnus?"

Magnus was immediately at Alec's side, an arm thrown out in front of Alec as a barrier. Though he didn't need protecting, Alec was grateful for the gesture, not in the least because of the sick feeling her presence provoked. The warmth that radiated off Magnus was soothing.

Not taking heed of Magnus' warning at all, Camille sniffed the air around Alec. "He simply reeks of you, darling."

"Enough of your games, Camille," Magnus cautioned.

"Then tell me why you're here, Magnus," she bit back.

"We need information."

Camille grinned at Alec's words. "The boy has found his tongue," she cooed. "Speaking of which..." She leaned closer until her mouth was practically against his ear. "Magnus does amazing things with his, doesn't he?" she whispered in his ear. She clearly meant to provoke him and although he did shiver, it wasn't at the choice of her words. She seemed to realise, because her eyes widened as she stared at Alec. "Oh," was all she said.

What? What did she think she'd seen?

Her attitude changed at once. All sense of playing around gone, she turned to Magnus. "Information about what?"

"About which vampires are still loyal to you. We suspect one of them has summoned the demon Leraje to avenge the wrongs done against you." Magnus snorted in derision at that last part.

Her eyes turned back to Alec, as understanding flew across her face; why, Alec had no idea. "I see."

A terrifyingly calculated look on her face, Camille turned and started walking away. Almost at once, the choke hold on Alec eased up, but not by much. Enough to let him breathe more easily.

She turned around with a dramatic flourish. "I accept your deal. I will give you what you want. For a price, of course."

Jace took a step forward. "There was never a question about a deal."

She dismissed him with a wave of her hand as if she was swatting away an annoying fly. "There is  _ always _ a deal, blondie. Unless you want to return to New York without the information you came for."

"What's the deal?" Alec asked. He could sense Magnus tense beside him, worried eyes on him, but he fixed Camille with an unwavering stare.

A disturbing smile crossed her beautiful face. "You, pretty boy."

"Not going to happen," Magnus immediately stated.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to touch a hair on that pretty head of his. I just want to talk to him."

"I don't care," Magnus insisted.

"How do we even know she has any information?" Jace interjected.

"She could just be playing us again, like she did before," Clary threw in her two cents.

"It's a deal."

Everyone was so busy arguing that it took them a while to realise Alec had spoken. They fell silent and stared at him; Alec was actually quite surprised he'd said it himself.

"Alexander," Magnus started, his eyes wide with concern, "there are other ways we can find out what we need. You don't have to do this." He turned and glared at Camille. "You shouldn't do this."

"She said she wouldn't touch me," Alec pointed out.

Camille smiled. "And I won't."

Magnus didn't look in the least placated. "She doesn't need to. She gets under your skin. I've been trying to get her out of mine for over a hundred years."

"Oooh." Camille smiled, a sick, pleased look on her face. "You just can't forget about me, can you?"

"Alexander," Magnus pleaded again, ignoring Camille's taunts.

He tried to smile at Magnus; he hoped it looked convincing. "It'll be OK, Magnus." He couldn't tell him, but he  _ wanted _ to talk to Camille. He needed to know what she'd seen. Did she know what this thing gnawing away at his insides was?

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Magnus sighed in resignation. "Just remember, she's a master manipulator. Whatever she tells you..." His voice trailed off into a whisper as he finished, "it's not true."

Alec heard what he wasn't saying; that Camille would try to feed him a pack of lies about Magnus. He was afraid, Alec realised, that Camille would change how Alec felt about him. He needed to assure Magnus that wouldn't happen. Actions spoke louder than words.

With a finger under Magnus' chin, he lifted his downturned face, encouraging him to meet his gaze. He'd gotten a lot better lately about kissing Magnus in front of other people, but right now, looking into his currently brown eyes, Alec even forgot there was anyone around them. Smiling softly, he tilted Magnus' head and leaned down, pressing a kiss onto those soft lips that expressed much better how he felt than his words ever could.

Magnus' eyes were closed when Alec pulled away. When he slowly opened them, there was something bright shimmering behind them.

"Trust me," Alec said softly.

His eyes never leaving Alec's, Magnus nodded. He didn't have to say the words for Alec to know what was behind those eyes. Alec, he trusted. Camille, not so much.

"How sweet," Camille said, her voice mocking.

Magnus finally broke eye contact with Alec and turned towards her. "You hurt one hair on him and I stake you myself." There was no heat behind his voice and that was more frightening than any anger. Camille's eyes widened; she knew him well enough to receive the message loud and clear: he meant it. "You've got five minutes."

"No magical eavesdropping," she issued her own warning, "or the deal's off."

At Magnus' nod in agreement, Izzy protested, "Magnus!"

He gave her a level look. "It's Alec's choice." It was obvious from his expression and his tone of voice that he didn't agree with it either, but he wasn't going to challenge it. Alec appreciated it so much.

With one final warning glare at Camille, Magnus ushered the rest out of the room and Alec was left behind with the vampire. Not really sure what she wanted from him, he just stood there. She watched him in silence for a few seconds, a calculating smile on her face, while he tried not to squirm.

When she did speak, Alec sucked in a breath. "Magnus hasn't realised yet, has he?" Her voice held nothing but innocent curiosity, but her expression betrayed how much she was revelling in his discomfort. "Too blinded by his feelings for you," she continued. Moving closer, she smiled up at him. "That's Magnus. Loves so deeply, he loses sight of what's right in front of him."

He wanted to snap at her, tell her that she didn't know what she was talking about, but he couldn't. Something was holding him back, something he couldn't seem to break through.

"Oh, don't worry," she continued, that horrible smile still in place, "I won't ruin the surprise for him. Though it's too bad I can't be there when he finds out. His face will be priceless."

Fear curled around Alec as he listened to her words, took in her knowing smile. She couldn't mean... No, no, she was wrong. "You're so wrong," he said, trying to bluff his way out. He couldn't let her know how accurate her shot had been.

Her smile grew even uglier. "Oh, honey, don't pretend. I saw it in your eyes just now. You know. You've known for quite some time."

He shook his head; he needed her to stop talking right now. He'd thought he wanted to know, but he was wrong. He didn't. He didn't want her to be right.

"You keep pushing back the truth, because you don't want to face it." She laughed. "The look on Magnus' face when he realises that the demon he's been tracking has been lying dormant inside his latest toyboy all along."

Alec shrank back from her, as if she had struck him. Maybe if she'd had, that would have been less painful than this.

"You feel him, don't you?" she continued relentlessly, as she started circling him again. "Coiled up inside your gut like some serpent waiting to strike. That's probably how he eluded Magnus' detection."

He stammered out a question. "But not yours?"

"Sweet boy, Leraje was summoned to protect me. It's practically radiating off you."

There was only one way for it. "I'll tell Magnus," Alec said, his chin lifted in defiance. "He'll cast the demon out."

He stopped short when she laughed. "You could. But you haven't yet."

"I didn't know..." Alec started.

She shook her head at him in admonishment. "Now you're just lying to yourself, dear boy. You haven't told Magnus because you know you can't. The moment the words form on your tongue, your lips freeze up on you."

Damn, so that's what it was. He realised with a sinking feeling she was right. "Why?"

"The demon is protecting himself. He's lying in wait."

"For what?" Alec stammered.

"For the right moment to manifest." Halting in front of him, she looked him up and down, a gleam in her eyes. "I bet it's been millennia since he's been an actual archer. He's going to have a field day once he takes over."

The grasp he had on his bow tightened to the point that it was almost painful. He couldn't let that happen. "I won't allow it," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"But you won't have a choice. You can't tell Magnus. Or anyone else for that matter. Look at you. Until I spelled it out for you, you couldn't even admit it to yourself." She leaned in closer. This time he didn't shrink away from her; he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "I'll help you, pretty boy." He would almost have believed that she wanted to help him, if it weren't for that horrible smirk. "I'll help you release the demon."

He shook his head frantically, but it was useless. He couldn't even seem to pull away from her, something... someone he now realised, holding him firmly in place. Leaning towards him, she whispered in his ear; he gazed at her in horror.

"That'll release the demon," she said, smiling. "When Magnus says that to you. And we both know he will."

"Five minutes are up," Magnus announced as he, Clary, Izzy and Jace walked back into the room. He was instantly at Alec's side, looking him over with concern. "Are you OK, Alexander?"

That...  _ thing _ inside him tightened around his gut; it wasn't the trigger Camille had planted, but it was close enough to make it sit up and pay attention.

"Magnus, I..." He didn't get any further. Something like an invisible hand squeezed his throat together, pushing the words back before they could pass through his lips. He glared at Camille, who smiled back at him knowingly.

"What?" Magnus asked when Alec could only stammer. His cat eyes blazing, he turned to Camille. "What did you do to him?"

She held up her hands in fake innocence. "We just talked. Didn't we, Alexander?" The way she said his name made his skin crawl, but looking at her, he knew there wasn't anything he could say. The thing inside him wouldn't let him.

"We just talked," he confirmed in a bland voice.

Camille beamed at his reply, but Magnus didn't look in the least convinced. He gave Alec one more considering look before he turned back to Camille. "If I find out you did anything to him, I will be back to fulfil my promise." He held out his hand to her, palm up, and beckoned towards her. "We held up the end of our deal. Now it's your turn."

She grimaced and for a moment it looked like she was going to refuse. One look at Magnus' expression was enough to change her mind. "Tell Raphael to look for Alan Ross or Vittoria Scotto," she said with a shrug. "They're the most likely suspects."

With that information secure, a smile so wicked appeared on Magnus' face it made Camille's slowly fade in anticipation of his next words. "By the way, while I was out there in the hallway, I left a little gift for you. Something I've been working on for months."

Alec stared at him in shock. This was the first he heard of it.

Camille's expression fell. "A spell," she realised.

"Oh, yes," Magnus confirmed, now openly smirking. "You won't lure any more innocents down here. In fact, this spell is so catered to you, you won't even be able to leave this place."

Camille's face went from shock and outrage to dawning gloom. "But I'll starve!"

Magnus shrugged, like that was the least of his worries. "I'm sure you'll figure something out..." He smiled, and added, with mocked sweetness, "my dear." He pushed Alec gently in his back towards the exit and left the room without another glance back.

His mind in turmoil, Alec cast a quick look back at Camille, her expression much less cheerful than it had been when she was tormenting him.

\---

Even as they stepped into the portal Alec could feel Magnus' worried gaze on him. He could tell that Magnus felt guilty; he probably thought he should never have left him alone with Camille for even one second. But it had been the right call. Now at least Alec knew what he was up against.

They came out of the portal to find Adam and MacLeod on the couch, old books and parchment scrolls strewn across the coffee table and scattered all around them. Magnus completely ignored the two Immortals, and Luke who was helping them. Instead he grabbed Alec's arm and steered him straight towards his bedroom. His eyes shining with concern, he gently pushed Alec until he was sitting down on the bed and then kneeled between his legs.

"Alexander," he started carefully, "if she's done anything to hurt you..."

With a shake of his head, he shrugged his bow and quiver off his shoulder and put them on the bed. As he did so, he wondered if that was what had made him treat them with so little respect before. Had the demon been trying to take control of him? Mostly for Magnus' sake, he suppressed the shudder that thought provoked.

"No," he said,  _ she _ didn't." Maybe if he could get across that Camille wasn't the problem...

Apparently Magnus had picked up on his emphasis. He frowned at Alec. "  _ She _ didn't? Then who did?"

"Magnus, I..." He tried again. "I can't... I... I can't..."

A dark expression fell across Magnus' face. "Was it me?" he asked, his voice strained. "Did I do something?"

"By the Angel, Magnus, no!" Desperate to dissuade him from that notion, he pulled Magnus into a quick kiss. "It's just..." He couldn't get the words out, no matter how he tried. "I can't..."

His expression much softer, Magnus assured, "You can tell me anything, sweetheart. Nothing can change the way I feel about you."

Alec was utterly convinced that nothing could; it was almost frightening to know he had that much power over Magnus. Something hot and big and terrifying and amazing grew ever larger inside his breast, until he felt it might explode all over the place. The words were hovering on his lips. He almost said them. He couldn't. If Magnus replied in kind, which Alec was pretty sure he would, not in the least when looking into those brown eyes right now, and if he did... The consequences would be disastrous.

"What can I do, Alexander?" The question was almost a plea. Alec knew that whatever he asked, Magnus would try to give it to him. Because, Alec realised, he still believed it was all his fault.

He shook his head. It wasn't his fault.

Magnus misinterpreted his reaction. "Please," he said, his voice almost a whisper, "let me do something. I know there's something bothering you." He took a deep breath, clearly trying to steel himself for his next words. "You promised we'd talk about it."

Damn, that stung. But it wasn't unwarranted. The irony was, Alec  _ wanted _ to talk about it. He just couldn't.

"Magnus, I can't..."

It almost felt like a shot through his heart to see the hope die in Magnus' eyes; his eyes lowering to the floor, he sank back on his heels.

Maybe there was something Magnus could do. "Magnus?"

His eyes flew up, his expression eager. "Yes?"

"Maybe you could..." Do another demon possession detection spell? That was what he was planning to say, but that invisible hand squeezed around his throat again, keeping the words from coming out.

The longing to help him was so clear in Magnus' expression, it almost broke Alec's heart. He wanted to make this better for Alec, but there was only one person who could. He had to get back to the Institute. He had to do some research of his own. If he couldn't ask for help, he was going to have to find a way to get this demon out himself.

His mind made up, he smiled at Magnus. "Maybe you could hold me?"

Something flickered in Magnus' eyes, as if he realised that Alec had been about to say something else. But finally, he smiled, if sadly, and with a sigh rose on his knees and enveloped Alec in his arms.

It may not have been what he was going to ask for, but it turned out to be exactly what he needed. Resting his head against Magnus', he breathed him in deeply and held him tightly. With a kiss against Magnus' temple, he pulled back.

"We'll talk," he promised again, steeling his heart against the hurt he saw fly across Magnus' face. When all this was behind them, Magnus would understand; Alec consoled himself with that thought. "But now, I've got to get back to the Institute and you've got your research to finish."

Magnus frowned at him in confusion. "Yes, I suppose I do."

Alec had to chase that insecurity off his face. Magnus gasped when Alec reached out and held his face in his hands. "Trust me?" he whispered, his face inches from Magnus'.

He knew it was a lot to ask, but he wasn't in the least surprised when Magnus nodded almost immediately. His heart full to bursting, he pulled Magnus towards him and pressed their lips together, laying everything he felt in that soft kiss.

When they emerged from the bedroom a little later, they were both taken aback to find Jace waiting for them, his shoulders tense with barely held back anger. Before Alec could warn him not to try any bullshit about blaming Magnus for what happened with Camille, Jace took them completely by surprise.

"I'll stake that bitch if she hurt Alec. I don't care what she means to you, Magnus."

Clearly startled that Jace's anger wasn't directed at him, Magnus quickly recovered from the shock. "Trust me," he said, "the line starts here."

Izzy appeared beside Jace, as did Clary. "How are you feeling?" she asked Alec.

"Fine." And he really was. Now that he knew what he had to do.

Her eyes bright, Izzy gave him a tentative smile. It would seem she recognised the determination he was feeling.

"We have to get back to the Institute," he told the others. "There's something I need to do."

"I'll open a portal," Magnus said. "It'll be quicker." Alec nodded at him in grateful acknowledgement.

While Magnus turned to open the portal, Alec noticed more books and texts were spread all along the dining table in the corner of the room, as were the objects MacLeod and Adam had retrieved from Johnson's apartment. Although that throb behind his eyes almost instantly started up again, they were far away enough to minimise the pain. And now at least he understood why he was reacting to them the way he did.

What if he could somehow access the demon's thoughts? That would help them find out what he planned to do with them. It could be dangerous, but maybe it was worth investigating.

The portal to the Institute opened, Magnus turned back to him. "Good luck with..." He shook his head with a chuckle that held no amusement. "With whatever you're planning on doing."

Alec smiled, not unsympathetic to Magnus' frustration with him. "Remember," he reminded, "you trust me."

A wry smile across his face, Magnus nodded. When he looked up at him, his expression was so intense, Alec sucked in a harsh breath. The next moment Magnus' hand was grasping the back of Alec's neck and pulling him into a hard kiss. He was slightly breathless when Magnus pulled back, his cat eyes blazing.

"I trust you to keep your promise," he said, his voice relentless.

With all that ardour directed at him, all Alec could do was nod. It almost felt impossible to tear himself away from that look in those eyes. When at last he managed to do so, the last thing he heard before he stepped through the portal was said by Izzy and made him smile.

"We'll keep an eye on him, Magnus."

===

Once the portal had collapsed behind the Shadowhunters, Magnus pulled out his phone and texted the two names Camille had given them to Raphael. Finding the vampires and bringing them in was a task best left to their leader.

For a moment he just stood there, not sure where to start. His thoughts were still full of Alexander and what was going on with him. Propelling himself into action with a sigh, he moved to the couch to see what Methos and MacLeod had done in their absence. He was looking forward to tsk-tsking their poor efforts, but to his surprise they had made quite good progress. Though he'd never admit it, Magnus was impressed.

"We could use your help with the demonic texts." Methos waved towards the dining table, where Magnus saw more books lying open. "My Sumerian may be a bit rusty, but I'm positively fluent in comparison to my grasp on Gehennic."

Walking towards the table, Magnus leafed through the pages listlessly. He just wasn't feeling any enthusiasm, something he barely recognised in himself. Normally he loved pouring over old texts, following clues and cryptic messages to the thrill of that 'ahah' moment when he laid bare their hidden secrets. Now he felt nothing of the sort. With a resigned shrug, he left the books for what they were and headed towards the kitchen. He'd skipped lunch. Maybe he'd feel better once he'd eaten something.

After staring into the fridge for a solid five minutes and his mind coming up blank on anything he wanted to eat, he gave up and closed the door. Sitting at the kitchen island, he conjured up a whiskey instead.

How had everything gone downhill so fast? Just this morning he'd woken up in seventh heaven, with a gorgeous, postcoital, naked Alec in his bed. And now, only a few hours later, Alec wouldn't talk to him, was keeping things from him, was behaving strangely...

Magnus sighed and took a large gulp of his whiskey. He should never have left Alexander alone with Camille. He knew the damage she could do with a few well chosen words. This was all his fault.

Maybe it would be best for both of them if they broke things off between them now. Magnus was part demon. He had no right to taint the life of such a beautiful angel...

His morose thoughts were interrupted by a cough. Looking up startled, he found Luke standing in the doorway.

"Raphael just called. He wants me to drive Simon's van back and my pack's help in rounding up the two vampires he's looking for."

Magnus snorted. His sombre thoughts came out in unnecessary snarkiness. "Vampires and werewolves helping each other? What has the world come to?"

Luke seemed to understand that the words were coming from a place of hurt, because he simply smiled. "Is the concept of vampires and werewolves getting along any more improbable than the Warlock who proclaimed his mistrust for Shadowhunters from the rooftops falling head over heels in love with one?"

Magnus couldn't hold back his reaction to those words if he tried. Gazing into his whiskey he smiled softly. Too late he realised that, for all intents and purposes, he'd admitted he was in love. His head snapped up as he shot Luke an alarmed glare. Panic made him lash out, as it usually did. "Just don't tell me you're head over heels in love with Raphael," he said, trying to sound casual. "This whiskey is very expensive. I don't want to barf it back up."

Luke didn't look offended; if anything, he looked highly amused. After a moment's contemplation he sat down on the other side of the kitchen island. Magnus held up his glass and wiggled it, silently asking if Luke wanted one too, but he turned down the invitation with a shake of his head.

"I have to drive, remember?"

With an indifferent shrug, Magnus took another sip from his drink.

"Listen, Magnus," Luke started, "I already told Alec this morning, but the two of you started something that carries much further than just the two of you. Vampires and werewolves getting along is just the start."

Magnus grimaced. "I didn't fall in love with Alec for diplomatic reasons." Wow, he'd actually said it. Out loud. He rolled his eyes when Luke smiled at him in acknowledgment.

"We don't control who we fall in love with, Magnus."

Great. Just what he needed right now. Romantic advice from someone who was literally ten times younger than him. "So how is Jocelyn?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.

Luke smiled at him. Clearly he recognised the diversion tactic for what it was. "Grateful for what you did for her."

Magnus shrugged. "All I did was read a spell from a book."

"And you saved my life," Luke said, not allowing Magnus to brush off his good deeds. Good deeds indeed.

"Ever since those Shadowhunters came into my life," Magnus snapped, "I've been doing nothing but charity work. If I don't get paid soon I'm going to end up poor as a church mouse in no time flat." He sighed when Luke tilted his head at him in gentle reproach. "Listen, Luke," he added in a more agreeable tone, "I understand it's coming from a good place, but I'm really not in the mood right now."

What he was in the mood for was a good wallow; Luke's expression as he rose to his feet seemed to suggest he'd guessed as much. With a "take care, Magnus," Luke left him to his misery. In the end there was nothing for it but to join Methos and MacLeod's research party.

Once he got stuck into the books, his love of old, dusty texts came rushing back; after all, it was the better way to distract his thoughts from whatever Alec was doing right now. Better than drowning his problems in booze at any rate.

In the evening MacLeod went on a takeout run and Magnus spent the entirety of their dinner break reaching for his phone and forcing himself not to text Alexander. When MacLeod announced that they were going to bed, Magnus didn't even think to stay behind and keep up the research. For one thing, they'd made great headway and for another, it wasn't giving him as much pleasure as it normally did.

In bed, he opened up his phone like he did every night. There was a text waiting from Alec, as he'd hoped there would be, but it was a very short one. It just read,  _ Good night, Magnus. _ It was a clear statement; tonight there would be no long convos back and forth. With a resigned sigh, Magnus sent back,  _ Goodnight, Alexander. _ Before he realised he was doing it, he'd opened a photo Izzy once sent him. One of the few candid shots of Alec he had; he always looked so stern and serious when anyone tried to take his photo. This one was taken shortly after Jace had been retrieved. He was fooling around with Max; his expression open, his eyes bright, Alec was laughing joyously.

His fingers stroking the face on his phone, Magnus whispered, "I love you, Alexander," and put the phone on his nightstand. It felt liberating to say it out loud, even if it was only to Alec's photo and not the man himself.

As he lay there in the dark, sleep refused to come. Magnus was reminded of that saying, that you couldn't miss something you'd never had. And now he'd had it. He knew what it felt like to fall asleep with Alexander in his arms, feeling his chest rise and fall under his touch. He knew what he smelt like, Magnus' nose buried in his hair. It was impossible to have had all that and go back to his big, empty bed.

After several hours of torment, he gave up. He showered, got dressed, put on his most expensive makeup - just to cheer himself up - and returned to his research. At least that way his thoughts were occupied with something other than Alec.

\---

It must have been somewhere around five p.m. when Jace first called. Magnus and the Immortals had made steady progress with the various objects Johnson had gathered. Most of them had been catalogued and their purpose for the demon's ritual determined; it was only the more obscure ones that still needed further investigation.

Magnus had finally managed to get himself lost in the pleasures of study, when his phone rang. At first he thought it would be Alec; he pulled the phone from his pocket with a huge grin on his face.

"Jace?" he asked, the grin dying on his lips when he realised who was calling him.

"Hey, Magnus." He hadn't sounded worried yet. Not then. "Did you happen to hear from Alec?"

"No." Just to be on the safe side he checked if he'd missed any calls. "No," he repeated when he saw that he hadn't. "Is something wrong?"

Jace made a non-committal sound. "It's probably nothing. We just can't seem to reach him. We'll keep trying."

"I'll do the same," Magnus said. He doubted there was a reason Alec was more likely to pick up Magnus' calls, but who knew what was going on in his mind right now?

"Thanks. Like I said, it's probably nothing."

As soon as he ended his call with Jace, he tried to contact Alec himself. While he waited for Alec to pick up he checked if maybe he'd left any messages, but there was nothing. Just a text from Catarina wondering when they could get together. When Alec didn't reply, he left a voice mail to call him back. Then he sent a text message asking the same. There might have been a sliver of unease at the back of his mind, but it hadn't grown into worry yet. There was no need yet.

Worry didn't come until three hours, and many text and voice messages, later.

Jace's voice when he called was a lot less calm than it had been on his previous call. "Damn, Magnus! This is not like Alec at all. I'm not taking any chances, not in the frame of mind he's been in lately."

"Wise decision," Magnus agreed. "Is there anything I can do."

He could hear the grin in Jace's voice when he replied. "Nah, parabatai tracking. We've got it covered." If Magnus hadn't been so worried he'd have rolled his eyes at Jace's obvious dig at his Warlock tracking.

Research was now definitely off the table; Magnus' thoughts were too scattered to concentrate on ancient texts, worry for Alec gnawing at his insides. After he closed his call with Jace he had to force himself not to do any tracking of his own; there were enough of Alec's possessions lying around the place to do so. The urge was so strong that magic sparked from his fingers before he even realised he was doing it. He couldn't. Not only couldn't he start their relationship by spying on Alexander every time he got worried about him, but he had to rely on his family knowing what they were doing. They'd contact him as soon as they found something. Knowing that didn't make the wait any more bearable, though.

When his phone rang half an hour later, Magnus jumped at the sound. His heart beating out of control, he almost dropped his phone in his mad dash to answer it.

"We found him," Jace said, but before Magnus could even breathe out a sigh of relief, he continued, his voice strained, "Magnus? I think you'd better come over here."

"Is he OK?" That was all Magnus needed to know.

The hesitation on the other side of the line said it all. "He seems to be, but... Magnus, there's something really weird. It took forever to get a lock on him."

Magnus had noticed. He'd almost snapped "what took you so long?" when Jace finally called. "Where are you?" was all he asked.

"Your club."

His club? "I'll be right there," Magnus replied with a frown.

"Thanks."

Completely baffled, he closed the phone call. What was Alec doing at Pandemonium? And why was he not returning any of their calls?

There was only one way to find out the answer to those questions. After a quick explanation to Methos and MacLeod, he opened a portal to Pandemonium and steeling his heart against whatever he'd find, he stepped through.

They were pretty easy to spot, the three of them huddled together, their expressions various forms of bewilderment as they stared at something. Following the line of their gaze, he noticed what they were looking at and all the air got knocked out of Magnus.

It should have been the most exhilarating image he'd ever seen. Alec, in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by half naked adoring men and women practically drooling over him as they danced around him. As for Alec himself, he was stunning. His upper body bare, sweat dripping from his face and chest, his head was thrown back as he gave himself up to the music, his body grinding with the rhythm.

It should have left Magnus gasping with arousal, but it did no such thing. What it did was hit him, like a solid punch in the stomach. In fact, he actually doubled over with the pain of it. His stomach was heaving as he desperately tried to keep inside the lunch that wanted to come up.

"I don't dance," it echoed in his head.

When his knees almost buckled, Izzy and Clary ran to his side, their faces even more worried than before. They could see from his reaction how bad it really was.

"Magnus?" Izzy asked, her voice shaking. "What's wrong with Alec?"

His stomach lurched again as he tried to get the words out. "That," he gasped, "is not Alexander."

Three sets of confused eyes looked at him. "What do you mean?" Jace asked.

How could he have been so stupid? He had seen the signs. But he'd ignored them all. Because this was Alexander. Because of how he felt about Alexander. He didn't  _ want _ to see. Camille saw it; he was sure of that now.

He took a deep breath. He had to accept responsibility for his mistake. "That is Leraje," he finally managed to grind out.

Izzy clasped her hand over her mouth, her eyes growing huge, while Clary stared, first at him, then at Alec on the dance floor. Jace was the only one who spoke.

"What do you mean, that's Leraje?" he demanded angrily. "Didn't you do a demon detection spell on him? You said he was clear!"

Magnus shook his head; confusion and distress were fighting for upper hand of his brain. "I did. He must have been hidden from me." Other words from Alec ran through his mind:  _ Sometimes people are stronger than you _ . "He's stronger than me," he grit out between his teeth. But not for much longer. Confusion gone, determination set in.

"Magnus!" Izzy called, pulling on his arm as he started walking towards Alec resolutely.

He tried to reassure her with a smile. "Alec is in there somewhere. He won't hurt me." Or maybe he wanted Alec to hurt him. He certainly deserved it. For failing Alec, yet again.

For a moment Magnus' approach remained undetected and he could observe Alec a little longer. He really did look magnificent; his tall, muscular frame, completely devoid of its usual inhibitions, moved in synch with the beats of the music. Under any other circumstances Magnus would have been all over that. Now the thought made him sick.

His pace faltered slightly as Alec stopped moving and tilted his head, as if he could sense Magnus' approach. And then a slow grin forming on his face, he turned towards him.

Magnus sucked in a shocked, painful breath. He'd thought he was prepared, but he wasn't. The warmth in those hazel eyes he loved so much was completely gone; his irises were black as coal. His heart raced out of control as Alec walked in his direction, literally flinging people away from him with a lack of consideration completely foreign to Alec.

If there had still been any doubt left, it would have been swept away by the ugly grin that looked completely out of place on Alec's face. Even more condemning were the words that came out of his mouth.

"Well, if it isn't Asmodeus' brat."

Magnus briefly closed his eyes and with a sigh, let go of the last remaining sparkle of hope. That was definitely not Alexander. Although Alec knew Magnus' father was a demon, he didn't know which one.

Alec... no, Leraje crowded into his personal space, but Magnus refused to flinch. "Good, Warlock." Keeping his eyes locked with the demon's, Magnus reminded himself that this was Alec's voice, but it wasn't Alec calling him Warlock with that much disdain. "I'm not going to hurt you," Leraje continued. "Not because of your boy here, but because of Camille." He laughed, the sound hollow and lifeless in Alec's voice, when Magnus frowned in confusion. "She still has a lot of affection for you."

Magnus smirked. "She has a funny way of showing it."

With the demon standing so close, the heat coming off Alec's perspiring body was almost too much to bear. Leraje seemed to notice Magnus' reaction; his black eyes flashing, he straightened to Alec's full height.

"I like this body," he said, his voice drawling. "It's young and strong." He winked at Magnus. "I see why you like it so much." When Magnus stared at him blankly, refusing to play his game, he shrugged. "And an archer. I haven't been an archer in forever." His head tilted, he seemed to contemplate something. "How do you do it again?" He smiled; it was not a pleasant sight. "Ah, yes."

He snapped his fingers in a mocking imitation of the way Magnus summoned his magic. Magnus couldn't help gasping when he saw Alec's bow and quiver now strapped across the demon's shoulder.

"That's right," he confirmed. "I've got magic too. So bring it, Warlock.

"Oh." He inclined his head in interest. "Your boy is getting quite distressed. Doesn't seem to like the things I'm saying to you. He's quite fond of you, isn't he?"

Magnus' heart constricted. The thought of Alec trapped in there, forced to watch how his body was being used without his consent, unable to do anything. It had to be torture. That alone was enough to strengthen his resolve. The demon could toy with Magnus all he wanted, but he couldn't have Alec.

In the meantime, maybe he could get through to him. "Alexander," he whispered, his eyes boring into those black empty pools, hoping for a connection. "I know you can hear me. We will get him out of there, I promise you, my love."

The  _ are you done yet? _ bored look the demon had plastered across Alec's face suddenly changed as he looked over Magnus' shoulder. "Looks like the cavalry has arrived."

What he saw when he looked behind him, took Magnus' breath away. The crowd around them had parted to make way for the three Shadowhunters who were now flanking him; their blades drawn, they were staring the demon down with determination. Even though that demon looked like their brother and friend, they were there to offer Magnus assistance. Shadowhunters literally had a Warlock's back; it really was a new world.

His confidence soaring, Magnus turned back to the demon, a smirk of his own on his face. "We will defeat you, Leraje," he promised. "Make no mistake about it."

"But before you do, let me cause some mayhem first." Leraje bent down until his mouth was right next to Magnus' ear; Magnus tried not to shiver as hot breath flew across his skin when the demon spoke. "Ready to lose another old friend, lover?"

Before Magnus had fully processed what he'd said, Leraje was gone. Of course Alec would also have heightened speed runes the demon could exploit.

He very much wanted to freak out, but there was no time for that. Turning around, he saw the Shadowhunters gazing around dazed; they too were trying to figure out what had just happened. Jace, the first to snap out of his daze, made to follow Alec, but Magnus stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"It's no use. The demon has enhanced all Alec's powers."

Jace shook his head, his eyes burning with anger as he looked at Magnus. "How did this happen, Magnus?"

"What's more important," Magnus immediately shot back, "is how do we undo it."

Izzy put a hand on Magnus' arm. She looked terrified. "Magnus," she said, her voice trembling, "doesn't the possessed usually die when the demon is extracted?"

No, no, he couldn't even bear to think it. He cast Izzy a pleading look. "Please," he whispered, "don't. We can't think like that. We can't give up before we've even tried."

A look of resolve crossing her face, she nodded once. Magnus had never felt more proud, or more grateful.

He turned to all three of them. "There's no time to explain. You'll just have to trust me."

The girls nodded, but Jace looked like he might still object; then, after a moment's consideration, he too seemed to realise that every minute they hesitated put Alec's life even more in danger. With a sigh, he inclined his head in agreement.

Without further ado, Magnus sparked his magic into being between his palms and opened a portal. "The portal goes back to the loft." He snapped his fingers and handed the piece of paper that had appeared in them to Izzy. "Tell MacLeod and Adam to gather all the artifacts and meet us at this address. Jace and I will go to Hotel du Mort, and get Raphael and Simon."

"Simon?" Clary's head shot towards him at the sound of her friend's name.

Magnus gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm pretty sure the demon won't go after Simon, but Raphael is very much in danger. And I  _ will _ keep him safe." He hoped his tone made no mistake about it. There was no way he was going to lose another old friend.

Seemingly more on board now, Jace nodded. "We're with you, Magnus."

Magnus shot him an appreciative look.

Clary started for the portal, but then changed her mind. Throwing herself in Jace's arms, she kissed him deeply. As Jace held her close, Magnus averted his eyes. He couldn't help thinking back on how he'd clung to Alec in much the same way before he'd stepped into the portal only... God, only yesterday? In hindsight, maybe he had known it would be his last chance...

No. He shook himself hard. He could  _ not  _ start thinking like that. He  _ would _ get a chance to kiss Alexander again. He had to believe that.

Once Clary and Jace had parted, Izzy too grabbed the opportunity to hold her brother tightly. "We will get Alec back," Magnus heard Jace whisper to her. "Don't give up hope."

Swallowing hard, she nodded, her face one of sheer resolve. With a final nod towards Magnus, Izzy and Clary disappeared through the portal. As soon as it collapsed behind them, Magnus opened another one to Hotel du Mort.

His blade held at the ready, Jace gave Magnus a sharp nod. "Let's do this."

\---

"I see you got my message," was the first, rather surprising thing Raphael said when they stepped into Hotel du Mort.

Magnus pulled out his phone and saw there were indeed a dozen phone calls and text messages he'd missed. "Sorry, Raph." He put his phone back in his pocket and gave Raphael an apologetic smile. "It's been a bit of an evening."

Raphael smirked. "It must be if you're calling me Raph." His expression softened when he realised Magnus wasn't shooting barbs back. ""What's going on?"

When Magnus didn't reply, the words still too painful to voice, Jace jumped in. "Leraje has possessed Alec."

" _ Dios mio _ ," Raphael breathed.

"And he's coming after you," Magnus added, "so there's really no time to lose in chitchat. I'm assuming you'll want Simon to come too, just to be on the safe side, so get him and let's go." It was only then Raphael's opening remark truly sank in. "Wait. What message?"

His outburst had made Raphael stare at him in confusion. "What?" he asked at the same time Magnus did.

There really wasn't any time for this, but it looked like Magnus was going to have to explain after all. "We're taking you and Simon with us for your own protection, you cantankerous  _ child _ . I'm not ready to lose another friend!"

Raphael's eyes widened in shock. "Magnus," he breathed, clearly taken back by the honest emotion in Magnus' words.

Magnus waved it away. "Just tell me what your message is."

Raphael nodded. Now that he knew what was at stake, he seemed a lot more cooperative. "We rounded up the two vampires you were looking for."

At least that was one good piece of news. "Where are they?"

"We were keeping them in the basement until we figured out who summoned the demon."

"And?" Magnus asked.

"It's Vittoria." Raphael smiled in what he probably thought looked sinister; to Magnus it looked like a toddler playing at being evil. "We  _ convinced  _ a confession out of her."

Magnus nodded in acknowledgment. "Good. Bring her along. She will attract the demon."

"The Shadowhunter?"

Magnus shot him a pleading look. "Please, Raphael. Just this once. Let's not."

Maybe he was imagining it, but something like sympathy and even affection seemed to cross Raphael's face as he nodded with understanding. "I'll go get Simon." Just as he was about to leave, he turned back to Magnus. "Wait, where exactly are we going?"

"The playground."

Jace cast a confused look between the two of them, but Raphael immediately seemed to guess what he was planning. With a nod, he left to get the other two vampires.

"The playground?" Jace asked.

"It's a place where the fabric between our world and the demon realm is a little thinner than everywhere else." He chuckled without amusement. "Ironically the city of New York decided to build a playground on top of it."

"And we're seeking out a gateway to hell, why?" Jace looked less than convinced of this plan.

"Easier to send the demon back."

Surely even Jace had to recognise the logic in that. While he left him to ponder on that question, Raphael had returned. As expected Simon was with him; the other vampire with them was a tall, stately woman with piercing eyes and blonde curls. Though the look on her face spoke of defiance, there was also defeat there. She knew the game was up.

Maybe that made it easier for Magnus not to stake her on sight. She had caused a lot of harm and the price at the end might prove to be more than he was willing to pay, but for now they still needed her.

Before temptation proved too strong after all, Magnus turned away from her and opened a portal. Perhaps it would have been more prudent to save his magic for the coming confrontation, but his need for urgency won out. Aside from everything else, he didn't really relish the idea of being stuck in Simon's van with three vampires and Jace.

Unsurprisingly, they were the first to arrive; the Immortals and the girls did have to rely on traditional transportation. At least it was late enough for the playground to be deserted; it would have been a tad awkward if he'd had to chase away kids who wanted to use the swings.

With Raphael and Jace keeping an eye on Vittoria, Magnus set about making everything ready. He was drawing patterns on the ground when MacLeod's jeep came hurtling around the corner. Absorbed in his work, Magnus wasn't really paying attention to the others. That changed abruptly when he heard Jace's loud, angry voice.

"Where the hell is Clary?"

Looking up, Magnus noticed she was indeed nowhere to be seen. The Immortals and Izzy had emerged from the vehicle, Magnus noticed. MacLeod, a backpack slung across his shoulder, appeared to look slightly guilty.

"Leraje's got her," Methos announced matter of factly.

Abandoning his preparations, Magnus marched towards them. Izzy's eyes were bright, but she refused to let the tears flow. Once again, Magnus was overcome with admiration for this strong young woman.

Jace looked ready to tear MacLeod and Methos to shreds, but Magnus held him back with a firm hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

Methos gave him a sad look. "It all happened so fast, Magnus. He just materialised into the room. Before Mac and I could draw our swords, he'd grabbed Clary and vanished again."

Agitated and distraught, Jace started pacing back and forth. "I knew I should have gone with them," he spat, clearly more angry at himself than anyone else.

"And what would you have done, kid?" Mac looked like he was seething with rage himself, but, probably for Izzy and Jace's sake, he was reining it in with admirable strength. "We have swords too, you know." Just to demonstrate he pulled his katana from the folds of his coat. "He was too fast for us. He would have been too fast for you too."

"But why Clary?" Izzy asked.

For what felt like the thousandth time that day, Magnus wanted to hit himself. Had his infatuation with Alexander rendered him stupid?

"Old friend," he muttered. "Leraje asked if I was ready to lose an old friend. I assumed he meant Raphael." He snorted when they all looked at him in confusion. "He meant Clary." Clary, who he'd known since she was a child.

Jace's expression went from anger to panic quickly. "Magnus," he almost pleaded.

"I won't let anything happen to her." He just wished he was half as confident about that as he sounded. "It just means we have even less time than I'd thought."

He quickly strode back to the markings he'd started; he didn't even have to look behind him to know the others were following. He pointed towards MacLeod.

"Set the artifacts up according to the scheme we uncovered. We have to lure Alec..." He breathed through the pain that assailed him. "We have to lure Leraje here before he can do any harm to Clary."

"Magnus."

Magnus was vaguely aware MacLeod had dumped the backpack on the ground and was trying to get his attention, but there was no time. Clary's life was in danger and it was all his fault. Again.

"Not now, MacLeod. Just set up the artifacts. I'll take care of the rest." He picked up the patterns where he'd left off.

"Magnus," MacLeod called his name again.

Goddammit, why couldn't that stubborn Scot ever do what he was told? "Just do what I say, MacLeod," he snapped, dodging around the Immortal blocking his path.

"Magnus!" With MacLeod grabbing his shoulders, forcing him to a standstill, he no longer had any choice but to listen. "Magnus," he repeated, his voice a lot more gentle than Magnus had expected. "Listen, please. I can help." When Magnus snorted in derision, he dropped his bombshell. "I've been possessed by a demon."

For a moment all Magnus could do was stare at him, unable to process this information. The words didn't make any sense at first; his mind was so preoccupied with worry for Alec and Clary that MacLeod's words sounded like gibberish. He looked up towards Methos; he nodded in confirmation, his expression sad.

Slowly the meaning trickled into Magnus' consciousness. A gradual smile formed.

"No wonder you hate demons," he pointed out.

MacLeod looked at him incredulously before he too smiled. "You think?"

But that meant... Hope blooming in Magnus' heart, he gazed at MacLeod in wonder. "But you're alive!"

"Yes." Sure of his attention now, MacLeod carefully let go of Magnus' shoulders. "I defeated the demon. That's what I've been trying to say. Let me help."

He still had one more question. "Who was it?" This information could be vital; not all demons could be defeated in the same way.

MacLeod's face twisted at the memory. "Ahriman."

Magnus huffed. "That humourless moody bitch." He grinned at MacLeod, more hopeful than he'd been in the last few hours. "It does explain a lot about your personality, though."

In reply, MacLeod simply rolled his eyes.

\---

"Do you really think Alec would hurt Clary?" Jace asked, as he and Izzy helped Magnus with his magic pattern.

Magnus grimaced. "Alec? Not in a million years. But don't forget, that's not Alec. That's Leraje."

"Maybe Alec's influence would stop Leraje from hurting Clary," Izzy offered. It was obvious to Magnus she was holding onto any scrap of hope she could find.

A dark shadow fell across MacLeod's face. "I took the head of one of my dearest friends while under the influence of a demon."

Izzy shrank into herself at the words, horror written across her face. Though it was a painful truth to hear, Magnus was grateful to MacLeod for opening up like that. It was obvious from his expression that it took a lot out of him to reveal something that devastating.

"Now I  _ really _ understand why you hate demons," Magnus said.

MacLeod pulled a face.

They all started when a voice, both familiar and eerily foreign, spoke behind them. "Did your mothers never teach you not to badmouth people behind their backs?" As they twirled around as one, they found Alec, sitting on one of the swings. Casually pushing himself back and forth with his feet, he turned an ugly smirk towards Magnus. "Well, we know your mother never did. She was too busy being terrified by her demon child."

The pain wanted to twist up Magnus' insides, but there was a warm hand pressed on his arm, keeping him grounded.

"It's not Alec saying those things," Izzy reminded him softly.

He knew that. Of course he knew that. But he still kept telling himself over and over. It was easier to remember while staring into those empty black holes that held nothing of the warmth in Alec's hazel eyes.

Jace, anger burning across his expression, took a step towards Leraje. "What have you done with Clary?"

Slowly rising from the swing, Leraje waved a dismissive hand towards Jace. "Don't have a cow, bro." He guffawed, the look so wrong on Alec's face. "Get it? As in you're my brother?"

For a moment Magnus feared Jace was going to mess up their careful plan when he looked like he wanted to throw himself at Leraje, but before he could, a startled looking Clary appeared next to him. She stumbled at the sudden displacement, but Jace caught her easily.

"Clary?" he breathed, the relief shining through in his voice. "Are you OK?"

Dazed, she looked up at him. "I think so?" Jace clutched her to him, holding her tightly.

Smirking, Leraje held up his hands in feigned innocence. "I wasn't gonna hurt her. Just wanted to have a bit of fun."

With Clary safe, Magnus knew it was now or never. Taking up a defensive stance, he raised his hands, magic sparking blue in both palms. That instantly got Leraje's attention. His smirk growing even wider, he turned to Magnus.

"Oh, you wanna play, lover?"

With Leraje's focus on Magnus, the others sprang into action. Raphael's vampire strength picked up MacLeod, while his speed transported him to the circle of artifacts on top of the magic markings Magnus had prepared. The same vampire speed was used by Simon to whiz behind Leraje and draw the symbol Magnus had shown him on his back. If Leraje was tapping into Alec's thoughts and memories, it was very likely he would dismiss Simon completely.

It all took place in a matter of seconds, a blur too fast for the human eye to catch. Not too fast for a demon, though. Leraje's smirk grew into anger.

"Whatever you're planning, Warlock, it's not going to work." The warning was issued in a deep, booming voice to add even more threat to the words, but it was already too late. Even as he advanced towards Magnus, he felt the impact of the spell Magnus had started whispering, a spell that tied him to the artifacts and the immortal beacon at their centre.

Leraje twisted Alec's handsome face into a gruesome grimace as he froze on the spot, his movements restrained by the spell being cast on him. It turned to disbelief when he twisted forward, then sideways, testing the bonds holding him in place. Magnus' lips never stopped moving, the spell falling from them again and again, growing in strength and volume. There was a flicker of anger, but then Leraje's expression settled on overconfidence, just the way Magnus had hoped.

"So you've bound me." Leraje moved against the bonds, not to test them this time, but as a challenge to Magnus. "What are you going to do? Have you forgotten I've still got control over your boy? Do you really expect me to believe you would hurt your precious Alexander?"

The mocking way he pronounced Alec's full name might have gotten a rise out of Magnus once, but now he was too wrapped up in the magic he'd unleashed. It was powerful magic; he needed all his strength to maintain it. And he'd already used up a lot of magic today. He grit his teeth, pain shooting through him. He could feel his strength ebbing away...

Leraje saw it too. He smirked, recognising the strain Magnus was putting on his magic. The confidence grew to confusion when Methos appeared beside Magnus and offered him his hand. He grabbed it gratefully.

Almost at once the sheer power of Methos' Quickening shot through him. It lifted his magic, made it soar and sing. It was much less intimate than his sharing with Alec, but exhilarating nonetheless. Locking eyes with Leraje, Magnus knew there was an ugly smirk on his own face.

"Five thousand years of life, bitch," he spat out. "Suck it up!"

And with those words he shot a bright blue spark of magic at Leraje as he started chanting a different spell. The first sign of alarm appeared on the demon's face when he recognised the spell Magnus was casting.

"Magnus," he said and the voice was so like Alexander's Magnus faltered. His magic sparked for a moment with the shock of it. "Magnus," he pleaded again. "You're hurting me. Why are you hurting me?"

It wasn't Alec. He had to remind himself. It was the demon playing with him. Magnus gasped when the black emptiness fell from Alec's eyes and his beautiful hazel ones locked with his. No. Magnus shook his head. It wasn't real. It wasn't Alec.

"Magnus?" The pleading in his voice was now reflected in his eyes and that was something Magnus had no resistance against. "Take me away from here, Magnus," he continued, his voice sweet and seductive. "It'll just be you and me. Like it was the other night. It was so good, Magnus. You made me feel so good."

Staring at Alec, Magnus could feel his extended hand lower and he couldn't seem to stop himself. Alexander was pleading him to stop hurting him. How could he deny that?

"It's not Alec, Magnus!"

Izzy's harsh words snapped him out of the enchantment Alec's sweet voice had cast over him. His resolve doubling, his face set, he growled at Leraje and tightening his grip on Methos' hand, threw all his magic at him.

A blue whirlwind gathered around Leraje, spinning wilder and brighter, until, with a cry that went straight through Magnus' heart, Alec threw his head back, his body shaking violently. The next moment he sagged in on himself, right into Jace's arms. As Jace carefully lowered Alec's weak body to the ground, Magnus followed the demon, still trapped in his magic, as it bound itself to its intended target: MacLeod.

MacLeod's body snapped back with the force with which Leraje crashed into him. The artifacts, collected by the demon with destruction in mind, were now being used against him, the spell on them keeping him from escaping.

Unclasping their hands, Methos immediately rushed to MacLeod's side, but there was nothing he could do but watch as the inner battle raged between MacLeod and Leraje. Magnus too was held spellbound by the sight of the tall frame standing still at the center of the magic circle, his eyes closed, his face a picture of serenity; it was captivating to watch.

His concern for Alec quickly overrode his fascination. Magnus ran towards Alec lying on the ground, his head in Jace's lap. Izzy had already activated his iratze, but Magnus knew he would need much more than that. He fell to his knees next to Alec, magic shooting out of his fingers before he'd even raised them. His body shook; something painful uncurled in his chest when his magic confirmed the damage was not irreparable.

Magnus' heart soared; for the first time he felt like he could actually be of use to Alec, if only to heal him. As the magic started seeping into Alec's bones and flesh, a soft groan emitted from his lips.

"Alec?" Izzy asked gently, hope shining through in her voice.

Alec's eyes fluttering open was the most wonderful thing Magnus had seen in a long time, his hazel eyes more wondrous to be behold than ever.

"Izzy?" Confused, he looked from her to Clary. He frowned when he realised he was lying with his head in Jace's lap. "What? What happened?" Then his eyes fell on Magnus. "Magnus?"

Relief washing over him, Magnus felt like he could collapse right there next to Alec, all strength drained from him. But the affection he saw in Alexander's face as their eyes locked, gave him the energy boost he needed.

Taking Alec's hand, he pressed a quick but heartfelt kiss to the back of it. "I just need to do one more thing. Then I'm all yours."

His eyes were still filled with confusion, but Alec nodded. "Do what you have to do, Magnus."

Secure in the knowledge that Alec would be okay, and that his siblings and friends were looking after him, Magnus rose to his feet and turned his attention back to the Immortals. Not much had changed on their front, which Magnus had expected. What MacLeod was planning to do could not be accomplished in a hurry.

Still standing in the circle of artifacts, Methos close by watching him intently, MacLeod was taking on Leraje. Magnus had mocked MacLeod many times, but right now, all his previous opinions of him realigned themselves. What he was doing was truly breathtaking. The very idea wouldn't ever have occurred to Magnus.

Of course the outcome was still very much a question mark. If this failed, they could have a sword-wielding possessed Immortal on their hands.

Something was happening; Magnus took a step closer in reaction. The serene look on MacLeod's face was starting to waver; his face twisted into a grimace. And then it all seemed to end between one heartbeat and the next. MacLeod's body shuddered once, before his knees buckled. His head down, he collapsed onto his hands and knees, panting with exhaustion.

Methos was at his side at once, holding MacLeod steady. "Magnus!" he called.

He needn't have. Magnus rushed towards them, running his magic all over MacLeod's body. Triumph in his eyes, he turned to Methos.

"He's gone. Leraje's gone. He's done it!"

"Are you sure he's not hiding again?" Methos' voice wasn't accusatory; he just wanted to be sure before he started rejoicing.

Magnus smirked. "No, that sucker's not eluding me again."

Finally allowing himself to believe it, Methos' whole body sagged with relief.

"Duncan?" he asked, his voice soft with love.

His breathing growing less laboured, MacLeod raised his head. Sweat was running from his hair into his face, but he was smiling.

"Thank you." Magnus had never meant the words more. What MacLeod had done defied gratitude. "I can never thank you enough. You saved Alec's life."

His dark eyes locking with Magnus, MacLeod shook his head. "I did it for Hélène." With those words he let himself be pulled into Methos' arms.

\---

What followed next was a whirlwind of activity. Magnus opened a portal straight into the Institute, where Alec, supported by Jace and MacLeod leaning heavily on Methos, were led straight into the infirmary ward. All Magnus could do was pace anxiously while the Shadowhunter healers did their thing. They confirmed he'd done an astounding job with initial healing, but Alec still had a long way to go before he regained his full strength.

As soon as Magnus was allowed, he rushed to Alec's side. Lying in the drab infirmary bed, he looked so drawn and gaunt against the white sheets. His eyes were closed, eyelashes lying dark against his pale cheeks. Magnus could feel tears sting behind his eyes, as he grabbed Alec's hand and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it.

Though it hadn't been his intention to disturb him, Alec's eyes fluttered open at the touch.

"Hey," he croaked, when he saw Magnus hovering over him. The smile he was aiming for turned into a frown at the sight of Magnus. How bad did he look to cause that concerned expression?

"Magnus, shouldn't you...?" His voice grew weak; he struggled to get the rest of the sentence out.

"Shouldn't I what?" he asked, pressing another kiss to the back of Alec's hand.

"Shouldn't you be resting too?" His hazel eyes searched Magnus' face. He must really look like shit. "You used a lot of magic."

God, Alec had been aware of everything going on around him? His heart breaking, Magnus placed Alec's hand against his cheek and held it there. "Don't worry about that, sweetheart. Save your strength to heal."

Alec nodded. His eyes closed; Magnus was just about to sigh in relief he'd fallen asleep, when they flew open again, wide in realisation.

"Magnus, must tell you..."

"It can wait until the morning," Magnus assured, not wanting Alec to get upset.

He shook his head with determination. "No, it can't. Must tell you..."

Magnus sighed in resignation. "What must you tell me, darling?"

Alec's eyes were almost pleading when they locked with his. "That I couldn't tell you. I wanted to. But the demon inside me... He wouldn't let me." Watching Alec get agitated, Magnus tried to shush him, but he wouldn't be. "I was scared you'd think I was keeping something from you. The demon stopped me from telling you."

His eyes closing in pain, Magnus could feel the tears fall from them and over his cheeks. "Please," he almost begged, "don't worry about it, Alexander. I know. I understand."

With a nod, content he'd got Magnus to understand, Alec closed his eyes and finally succumbed to the exhaustion claiming him. Wiping a hand across his face, Magnus took comfort in the steady rise and fall of Alec's even breathing. The Shadowhunter healers assured them Alec would be fine eventually. He had to draw strength from that. He still couldn't resist laying his head on Alec's chest and just listen to him breathe in and out until his own breathing settled.

If it'd been up to Magnus he would have stayed at Alec's bedside until he woke up, in case he needed something, but it wasn't long before he was chased out by the staff. He understood Alec needed his rest to recuperate, so he went willingly.

Outside he met up with MacLeod and Methos. Whatever injuries MacLeod had sustained were already dealt with by his Immortal healing; he'd been discharged and was free to go home with them.

The only thing Magnus needed right now was a quiet place to freak out. Everything had happened so fast, from the discovery that Leraje had possessed Alec to sending that motherfucker back to hell; Magnus hadn't had a chance to properly process everything. When the three of them returned to his loft, he made a beeline for his bedroom and slammed the door behind him in the most obvious  _ do not disturb _ way possible.

Though Alec was right and he was exhausted from all the magic he'd used, he just stood there, unable to move. He wanted to lose it, throw things, scream until he had no more voice left. In the end he simply sat down on the edge of his bed and lowering his head tried to breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Until the feeling he was going to pass out subsided.

His hands. He stared at them in confused disbelief. They were shaking. It was only then he realised it wasn't just his hands. All of him was shaking, so violently it felt like he was going to fly apart.

A comforting hand pressed gently into his shoulder.

"Methos," he started, wondering how he'd entered his room without Magnus hearing him. "I'm really not in the..." Looking up, he stared.

Oh, this was great. He'd gone so far off the deep end he was now seeing ghosts.

"Methos is here?" Ragnor looked around as if he expected him to appear in the room. "He still owes me twenty pounds from that bet he lost in 1803." His index finger on his chin, he thought for a moment. "Though with inflation that's probably more like a thousand pounds in today's currency."

Unmoving where he sat, Magnus still stared. "Ragnor?"

Ragnor smiled warmly at the confusion on Magnus' face. "I told you, my friend. I'll always be here for you in your hour of need."

Magnus couldn't help smirking. "Then where were you in the last few months?"

"You didn't need me then." Ragnor grinned. "Glad to see you took my advice on young Alexander." Looking mighty pleased with himself, he sat down next to Magnus and then fell back, leaning on his elbows. "Four poster bed? Really, Magnus? What are you, a Disney princess?"

The mention of Alec's name made Magnus turn away from Ragnor's smiling face. "Maybe it would have been better if I hadn't." For one thing, he wouldn't have dragged Alec into this whole Leraje mess.

"For who?"

Magnus twirled around towards Ragnor.

"Certainly not Alec. He would now be trapped in a loveless marriage, hiding his true self forever." He gave Magnus a doubtful look. "I'm sure you wouldn't want that for the boy?"

"Fine," Magnus conceded reluctantly, "that part wouldn't have been better." He stared at his fingernails; the nail polish was starting to chip, he noted with detachment. "I almost lost him today, Ragnor." Saying it out loud made his hands start shaking again.

Sitting up, Ragnor grabbed his hands and held them still. A corner of Magnus' mind wondered how he could do that if he was a figment of his imagination.

"But you didn't," Ragnor said gently.

He would someday. If not today, then tomorrow, or next month, or twenty years from now when Alec had grown roots in every corner of Magnus' being.

"Magnus." The kind tone in Ragnor's voice made Magnus turn towards him. "I know you. And this isn't about Alec dying someday." He pulled a face when Magnus tilted his head in challenge. "OK, it's not  _ just _ about Alec dying."

"What if..." He hesitated, almost afraid to voice his concerns.

"What if?" Ragnor prompted.

What if Alexander was better off without him. They'd just fought a demon from hell; Magnus was a demon as well. What made him think he had any more right to Alec than Leraje did?

He finally settled on, "What if he gets hurt again because of me? I'd never forgive myself."

He should have guessed Ragnor would see right through him. "Because you're half demon?" Ragnor smiled kindly. "You're half human as well, Magnus." When Magnus looked less than convinced, he sighed. "Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that you're right and your demon side ends up hurting Alec."

Having it spelled out like that made Magnus shudder.

Ragnor gave him a sympathetic look. "Are you willing to break your own heart and Alec's, just to keep him safe?"

Magnus made a stone of his heart. "If I have to."

A knock on the door made Magnus look towards it. When he turned back to Ragnor, he was gone.

"Yes?"

Methos appeared in the doorway. "Are you OK, Magnus? We thought we heard voices."

Magnus didn't know whether to laugh or cry at those words.

===

"So let me get this straight." Alec frowned in disappointment at the amused reaction of the people around him. "MacLeod waged battle with Leraje inside himself?"

He'd spent the last few days recuperating at the Institute; two near death experiences in almost as many days was a bit much for even the strongest Shadowhunter. Izzy and Jace had insisted he stay under close supervision of the Institute's healers. As Alec's body was pretty much telling him the same thing, he didn't object much.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Izzy beamed at him. "It was amazing, Alec. A meditation technique he learned in Kuala Lumpur. You stop feeling anything, fear, hate, even love. You just become nothing."

"And how did that send Leraje back to hell?" That was the detail Alec was still confused about.

From his chair on the other side of Alec's bed, Jace provided the answer. "Demons feed on human emotions. Fear and hatred are particular delicacies. When he couldn't feed on those..."

Alec nodded. "There was nowhere else to go."

"It was still a long shot," Clary said. "It could have backfired on us fantastically."

Alec was glad to see that Jace had taken his words to heart and Clary was in the room this time. She was perched on the armrest of Jace's chair. From the way their hands were clasped together tightly, it was obvious they hadn't strayed far from each other since their ordeal.

"Luckily Adam was there to give Magnus the strength he needed. Can you believe that guy is five thousand years old?!"

Her words and the ensuing cries of disbelief drowned out in the background. At the mention of his name, Alec's eyes sought out Magnus; he was in the corner of the room, almost separate from the rest of them, his eyes steadfastly refusing to meet Alec's. Something sharp dug into Alec's insides at the sight of him. Gazing off into the distance, he was rubbing his thumb and index finger together again; he looked miserable.

He hadn't been like this the whole time. When Alec had first been brought in, Magnus had been hovering around him, concern written across his face. Whenever Alec wanted something, he'd been there, for whatever he needed, from water to a hand to hold, to warm lips to kiss. He'd basked in the attention, the love radiating from Magnus a more effective medicine than anything the healers could provide.

What had happened between then and now to account for Magnus' transformation? Maybe the initial concern had started to wear off and Magnus was remembering all the nasty things Alec had said to him while under Leraje's possession. He hadn't been in control, but he'd heard it all, like he was a passenger in his own mind, unable to do anything while someone else sat in the driver's seat. Was Magnus blaming him for that?

"Magnus?"

At the sound of Alec calling his name, he visibly snapped out of whatever reverie he'd sunk into; the way he jumped from his chair would make a person believe someone had set his seat on fire.

"Alec!" Not Alexander, he noticed with a sharp pain. Another way for Magnus to put distance between them. "I completely forgot I have an appointment with a client." His eyes were darting everywhere but never met his.

"A client?" he asked incredulously.

Magnus nodded vigorously, as if that would lend more credence to his story. "Yes, he wants me to translate a demonic text for him. He offered to pay a lot of money. And god knows, with all the unpaid work I've been doing for you guys, I can use it." He tried to smile, but it looked wrong and forced.

Alec couldn't believe what he was hearing. This sounded like the Magnus Bane his parents had warned him about: callous, money-obsessed Warlock. Alec  _ knew _ that was not the man he was. Why was he acting as if he was? As if he was trying to push Alec away?

That was it, Alec realised with a start. He was actively chasing him away. But why?

"So, yes," Magnus said; his eyes still hadn't met Alec's once. "I should be going. I'll see you later." He moved towards the door.

Alec's hand flew out to grasp Magnus' wrist in passing. "Magnus," he all but pleaded.

The moment they made contact Magnus froze on the spot. He seemed to stare at Alec's hand as it slid from his wrist to tangle their fingers together. There was something shimmering in his eyes Alec had no words for.

With a sharp tug, Alec pulled Magnus towards him, the other people in the room completely forgotten. At this, Magnus' eyes finally,  _ finally _ , met his. That soft smile meant only for Alec tugged at his lips, but it looked so sad it broke Alec's heart.

Leaning down, he kissed Alec tenderly, but it was still filled with so much sadness. And then before Alec could even fully reciprocate, he was gone out the door. Knowing that everyone was watching him with the same confusion he was feeling, he stared at the door.

\---

Magnus' odd behaviour wasn't the only thing occupying Alec's mind. There was a restlessness bubbling beneath his skin. It wasn't just the memories of what he'd done as Leraje that haunted him; at times it felt like the demon was still there, waiting to strike again.

It wasn't a real fear. For one thing, not only Magnus, but his friend Catarina, a healer Warlock, had made sure that this time the demon really truly was gone. And for another, this felt nothing like the twist in his gut he'd felt before. It was a prickle along his skin he couldn't seem to shake.

And then there was Magnus.

As the days progressed Magnus' visits grew less and less frequent, and when he was around, checking up on Alec's progress he put up even more distance between them. Alec's worry didn't grow into alarm until one day when he came out of his room and ran into a smiling Clary.

"Is Magnus gone?" she asked. "I wanted to ask him something."

Alec's stomach dropped out. "Magnus was here?"

"Yeah, just ten minutes ago." She frowned when she noticed the devastated look on his face. "Wait, he didn't come and see you?"

He hoped his shrug looked nonchalant enough to be believable, as he walked away, from Clary, but mostly from the conversation. "He was probably just busy. He's been seeing a lot of clients lately. I can't expect him to be at my beck and call. He  _ is _ the High Warlock of Brooklyn, you know? Lots of responsibilities in the Downworld."

He was so wrapped up in his rambling justifications on why his boyfriend was ignoring him, he startled when Clary suddenly appeared in front of him, halting his hurried steps. She must have run to catch up and overtake him.

"Alec." She looked sympathetic as she placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Do you need to talk?"

He huffed at the thought. Talk to Clary? What the hell about?

"Is something wrong, Alec?" she asked again.

"What could be wrong?" He tried to sidestep her, but she blocked him every time. Her Shadowhunter reflexes were getting a lot better, he acknowledged begrudgingly.

She smiled, but it looked a bit sad. "Yeah, what could be wrong? It's not like we're used to you scowling around the Institute's corridors."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Is that all?"

The smile slowly faded. "You'd been scowling a lot less lately, Alec. And smiling more often."

Faced with his relentless, blank stare, she shrugged and turning, walked away. It actually made Alec feel bad for how he was treating her; after all, she was only trying to help.

"Clary?"

Her expression was one of surprised delight when she turned around. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry," he said. When she frowned, he elaborated. "For what I did."

Alarm on her face, she took the few steps back towards him. "God, Alec, I know that wasn't you. It was Leraje."

He shook his head, mad at himself for not getting this across properly. "No, I mean, before... The things I said."

He could pinpoint the exact moment she realised what he was getting at. Then she grinned. "I could have been a bit more sensitive to your feelings as well."

Suddenly self-conscious, he stared at the ground between them. "Those feelings?"

"Yes?"

He heard the amusement in her voice, but he couldn't seem to dislike her for it, like he once would have. When he looked up, he saw that she was smiling warmly.

"They've changed," he admitted with a shy smile. Not just about Jace, but about Clary as well.

Her face split into a bright smile; if he'd been into girls he'd almost understand what Jace saw in her.

"I know." She patted him one more time on his arm. "I mean it, Alec. If you need to talk, I'm here." She bit her lip, as if she wasn't sure she should voice her thoughts. "Maybe Magnus..."

When she trailed off and gave him a hesitant look, Alec tilted his head in encouragement. He'd take any advice right now, even Clary's.

"It's been an intense few days for all of us. Maybe all Magnus needs is a little time?"

He considered her words as she smiled at him and with one final squeeze of his arm walked away. It wasn't until he'd had an almost repeat of that conversation with Izzy the next day, and another one two days later with Jace, that it started to dawn on Alec what was happening.

Two near death experiences were hard on Alec, but they were an eye-opener to the man who was used to losing all his loved ones. Obviously Magnus had decided he wasn't worth the hassle, just like everyone before him had. It hurt like hell, but it was true. He wasn't good enough. Never had been. Even Magnus had come to realise that in the end.

Could he go back to a life before Magnus? It seemed impossible, now that he'd had a taste of what he could have. The sex was just a minor part of that. It had only been a few days and he was already missing Magnus' scent, the way his strong arms held him through the night, that small soft smile just for him. It would be impossible to go back to a life without all that. He would do it, though, if he had to. No matter how painful. He'd have no other choice.

Or Clary would prove to be right and all Magnus needed was a little time.

He'd just been released from the medical ward and was starting to hobble around the Institute when Raj drew his attention.

"You've got visitors, but I've never seen them before."

Alec looked at the pad in Raj's hands. It showed MacLeod and Adam loitering outside the Institute's door. For a moment Alec's heart soared. Maybe Magnus was with them...

It plummeted back to earth when he realised the Immortals were alone.

"Yeah, I know them."

His body still sore all over, Alec stumbled his way towards the entry and opened the door, slowly making his way down the church's steps. It was a sunny afternoon; the birds in the park nearby were chattering happily.

"MacLeod." Alec shook his hand warmly. "Thank you so much for what you did."

MacLeod waved it away. "It did it not only for you, but for Hélène and every other one of Leraje's victims."

With a nod in acknowledgment, Alec turned and shook Adam's hand. "And thank you as well." Without Adam's help, Magnus would never have had the strength to complete his spell on Leraje.

Speaking of Magnus...

Almost wistfully, he looked behind MacLeod and Adam, as if he somehow still expected Magnus to appear behind them. It was a look easily interpreted by the Immortals.

Sharing a knowing look with MacLeod, Adam smiled softly. "Magnus isn't with us."

Alec shrugged, as if he was indifferent to the news. "It's probably for the best anyway." He was pleased to hear his voice hadn't cracked, the way his heart had, saying those words.

He saw the Immortals share another look, but this time it was a confused one. He needed to steer them away from the subject of Magnus.

"Do you want to come in?" Raj would probably throw a fit, but Alec would vouch for them. "Can I offer you something?"

Smiling, Adam waved a hand. "No, we just came to say goodbye. MacLeod and I are going back to Paris."

"Now that Leraje has been safely discharged back to hell," MacLeod added.

A sinking feeling started in the pit of Alec's stomach. That would mean Magnus would be alone. Again. He winced at the thought.

"Are you still in pain?" MacLeod looked worried; he'd clearly misinterpreted Alec's wince. Though, yes, he was in physical pain as well. Why wasn't MacLeod, he briefly wondered. Oh, right, immortal healing.

Alec nodded. "Just a little sore."

Adam gently guided him to a bench not too far away from the church. Once Alec had taken a seat, he sat down beside him. "What is going on with you and Magnus?" he cut straight to the chase.

Alec held his head high, determined not to let them see in his heart. "It was going to happen sooner or later."

Frowning, Adam shared a quick look with MacLeod still standing in front of them. "What was, Alec?"

He shrugged. Magnus realising that Alec wasn't good enough, just like everyone did. "He'd have gotten sick of me almost dying eventually. Guess it's better he dumped me now." Before it hurt too much? That line had been crossed a long time ago.

A disbelieving smile on his face, Adam shook his head. "You think this is about Magnus being immortal and you not?"

Confused, Alec nodded. What else would it be about?

"Alec," Adam said kindly, "we immortals lose people over and over again. I've lost more people than even I can remember."

Five thousand years worth of lost loved ones, Alec realised. How many people did that amount to?

Adam chuckled. "Why do you think I love reading my own Watchers' journals so much? To remind me of the people I've forgotten." Sadness suddenly flickered across his face. "Some years ago I fell in love with a young woman, Alexa. I thought I'd have many decades with her, but she turned out to be critically ill. We only had a few months together in the end. I grabbed those few months with both hands, even though I knew her death would devastate me. The pain wouldn't have been any less if I'd walked away from her."

MacLeod nodded. "And it's not just the people we're romantically involved with. That person I said I killed when I was possessed by Ahriman?" Alec nodded. He'd heard about that from Jace. "That was my own student. Bright, young man. Only twenty two. He had his whole life ahead of him. His death didn't hurt any less because he wasn't a lover."

Alec stared between them, utterly confused. "What are you saying?"

"What we're saying," Adam replied, "is that, even though we keep losing people and it hurts again and again, we still put ourselves out there. We put our hearts on the line every single time. Because that's what we are. We're human. We need that connection."

MacLeod snorted. "Even demon spawn like Magnus does."

Alec would have bristled at that description, but it was clear from MacLeod's open and kind smile that it came from a place of affection. His head was starting to hurt, though. If it wasn't about the immortality thing, why was Magnus ignoring him?

"Then what?" he stammered.

"Do you know what Magnus is doing right now?" Adam asked.

MacLeod huffed. "Being a right moody bitch."

Adam threw him a disapproving look; MacLeod shrugged unapologetically.

"He's not eating, drinking too much, pacing the loft mumbling about how it's all his fault, how he put Leraje in your path. How he has no right, he's a demon, what was he thinking putting his hell-soiled hands all over such a pure angel..."

MacLeod rolled his eyes. "Like I said, moody bitch."

This couldn't be happening. Alec shook his head in disbelief. "He's staying away from me because he thinks he's not good enough?" His voice went alarmingly high on those last words, but the irony was about to kill him. He'd been beating himself up for not being good enough and Magnus was doing exactly the same?

By the Angel, they really needed to learn to communicate better.

He knew what he needed to do. MacLeod and Adam must have read the decision on his face as he leaped off the bench; they both grinned at him.

"I could give you a lift," MacLeod offered.

His mind racing, Alec shook his head. He needed the time to walk over there to get his thoughts together, to figure out what he was going to say. Telling Magnus he was being an idiot would probably not be a good start.

His heart feeling a thousand times lighter, he said his heartfelt goodbyes to the two Immortals. He certainly hoped to see them again. Seeing how he planned to be a part of Magnus' future for quite some time, he probably would.

About halfway there, it started to rain, but he didn't let that affect his mood. By the time he stood on Magnus' doorstep, he was soaked through and still nowhere closer to figuring out what he was going to say.

Magnus' expression when he opened the door was one of surprise, immediately followed by worry when he saw how drenched Alec was and how stiff his movements were when he walked inside.

"Alec," he started, "shouldn't you..." but Alec didn't let him get any further.

"I'm mortal." He winced as soon as the words were out. Maybe not the best place to start. Not in the least with Magnus' eyes widening in shock. Alec didn't let it deter him. "And yes," he continued, "I'm going to put myself in harm's way over and over again. And one day, hopefully far far into the future, I'll die and that might cause you pain. But the fear of pain some distant day away is not enough to keep me from this, Magnus."

He realised there was wetness on his face that wasn't rain. As Magnus kept staring at him, he was stuck for words for a moment. In the end, he sighed, just going with what he felt. "You don't get to decide what's best for me, Magnus. I may be new to relationships, but I know that's not how they work. And I want to be with you." He couldn't keep out of his voice how much. "Because..." He suddenly knew what to say. He smiled at Magnus warmly. "Because there's no fun to it without you," he quoted Magnus' words back at him. "Because..."

He hesitated for a moment. Fuck it. "Because I love you."

Up until then Magnus had just stood there, staring at him speechless, but now shock flew across his face. It was soon replaced by unadulterated joy. His arms flew across Alec's neck and he kissed him deeply. His arms instantly closing around Magnus, Alec pulled him close, sighing into the kiss, his heart lighter than it had felt in days.

When Magnus pulled back, he was smiling like Alec had never seen him smile before: open and full of life. "I love you too, Alexander."

Alec smiled. He knew. Those were the words that released Leraje. Magnus must have spoken them, even if it wasn't to Alec.

When Magnus took a step back, they were both laughing at his soaked shirt. "Now we're both wet."

Alec winked. "Only one solution to wet clothes. Get out of them."

Magnus' smile was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

\---

One week later, Alec's restlessness still hadn't subsided; it still felt like his skin didn't belong to him. On the plus side, he'd started spending more and more nights at Magnus' place. They hadn't done anything beyond sleep together, not in the least because Alec's body was still too sore for anything more strenuous. But just being held by Magnus, breathing him in, did wonders to soothe him.

He'd been dozing in and out of sleep for close to an hour now, but sleep still refused to come. His thoughts were running around his brain and he couldn't seem to quieten them. Flashes of things Leraje had done and said while occupying his body, the way he'd sneered at Magnus or had almost hurt Clary. He couldn't seem to shut down the images.

His head tucked in the crook of Magnus' shoulder, he placed his hand on Magnus' naked chest. Maybe the steady thump thump of his heart under his fingertips would lull him into sleep.

"I feel like he's still here." Alec knew Magnus wasn't asleep yet. Another thing he'd learned about him in the last week. He never fell asleep until Alec did. "Like he's still rattling around inside here. Like my skin doesn't belong to me."

Magnus' arms tightened around him, gathering him closer. To Alec's surprise, he started humming a melody; the humming slowly turned to soft singing. It took Alec a moment to realise he was singing in a language he didn't understand.

"Magnus?" He looked up at him with a questioning look.

There was a wistful, almost sad smile hovering across Magnus' lips. "It's an old lullaby, from my homeland. My mother used to sing it to me when I was a child." There was a slight pause before he added, "Do you remember the things Leraje said while he was you?" There was a hesitancy to Magnus' voice, as if he wasn't sure he should go there.

"Most of it," Alec confessed.

"One of the things he said was true." Magnus' next words revealed why he'd been thinking of his mother singing a lullaby. "My mother? She was terrified of me."

Alec looked up at Magnus in alarm. He hadn't meant to bring up any bad memories. But Magnus smiled at him warmly and with so much love it took his breath away. His face was naked, completely devoid of makeup. It almost made him look more vulnerable, even though Alec knew that wasn't why he wore makeup. He wore it because he liked it, nothing more or less.

"Not at first, of course," Magnus continued."My early childhood was pretty happy. I had a mother and father who loved me. Until my demon mark came through." He let the glamour slip from his eyes, cat eyes blazing bright in the half-lit room.

Though Alec loved his real eyes, he wondered how a mother would react when she saw cat eyes on her child. Even today it would freak a mother out; in a remote Asian village in the early seventeenth century...

There was a slight pause before Magnus, his voice cracking, added, "She hanged herself."

By the Angel! Moving closer, he pressed a kiss to Magnus' chest. "You don't have to tell me," he whispered.

"I  _ want _ to tell you."

Though he wasn't sure he wanted to hear, Alec nodded, tucking his head back against Magnus' chest. He never wanted to hear about unhappiness being brought to Magnus. He deserved nothing but good things.

"After my mother killed herself, my father..." Magnus chuckled without humour. "The man I thought was my father. The man who, until that moment, thought he was my father. He took me on an outing." His voice started to waver; Alec braced himself for the worst.

He sighed. "Maybe it was mostly grief at my mother's death."

"What happened?" Alec pressed a little closer, dreading the answer.

"He tried to drown me in a river."

Alec shuddered, as much for the child as the pain he heard in Magnus' voice.

"I was ten," Magnus continued. "I lashed out with magic I hadn't learned to control yet." He needed a moment before he added, his voice barely audible, "I killed him."

He didn't need Alec to point out that he'd been just a child; Magnus knew that. His voice held no blame, just a statement.

"There's a reason I'm telling you this, Alec."

Alec, not Alexander. Not because he wanted to put distance between them, but between himself and the past. Alec understood that.

"I know what it's like to have a demon rattling around inside. One of the first things I learned, once I controlled my magic, was to hide my eyes. Hiding the demon away from a world who judged me for it."

Pain tugging at his heart, Alec surged up, looking into those demon eyes that were searching his face. "I love you," he said. It felt easier to say every time he said it.

A brilliant smile grew across Magnus' face. "I love you too, Alexander." He frowned when Alec shook his head. There was more he needed to say.

"I love all of you, Magnus. Demon and all." Magnus' eyes widened in shock at his words. "Maybe it's the demon part of you, but you have a capacity for love I rarely see in people who are fully human."

The kiss that followed was one of the most intense, life-altering moments of Alec's existence. It started as tender and loving, but in the emotional state they both were, it went from tender to frantic in no time flat. Soon they were kissing like they wanted to devour each other.

Alec's arms wrapped around Magnus' solid frame to pull him even closer. He sighed in bliss when Magnus rolled them over until he was on top of Alec. He loved the feeling of Magnus pinning him down; it was grounding him.

They were both hard, their cocks grinding up against each other through their underwear, their only piece of clothing. Still kissing him for all he was worth, his fingers tugged at Magnus' expensive lace panties. He wanted them off, off, off, but he also didn't want to rip them. Some maneuvering later, he'd finally wriggled them off Magnus and he'd done the same with Alec's boxer shorts.

A groan was torn from them both when they fit back together, skin to skin this time. At once they were kissing again. Their hips moving together, Alec sighed into the delicious friction. He locked his legs behind Magnus' hips to tug him in, one hand on his ass doing the same, the other roaming across that broad, muscular back. It felt so good to lose himself into the sensation, he almost didn't notice when Magnus stopped kissing him and pulled back slightly.

Alec looked up into his eyes; his cat pupils were blown into round black bullets.

"Alexander?"

He didn't have to say anything else; Alec nodded before Magnus could even get the rest of his question out.

"Yes," he whispered. "Do it. Fuck me."

Magnus shivered, maybe at the crudeness of his words. "Are you sure?"

He'd never been more sure of anything before in his life. Holding Magnus' gaze firmly, he nodded. The next moment they were kissing again.

After a while Magnus smiled softly down at him when Alec still hadn't made any move to unlock his legs from around his hips. "It'll be more comfortable on your stomach, sweetheart."

Alec shook his head. There wasn't even any question about it. "I want to see you."

Magnus looked like he wanted to challenge that decision, but then he smiled and shook his head. "Turn over anyway. I want to make you feel good."

That was certainly something Alec couldn't object to. He felt a slight loss when Magnus moved off him to allow him to turn onto his stomach, but it turned into a groan of pleasure when he draped himself all over Alec's back. The feeling of Magnus' hard cock snug against his backside, combined with the friction of soft Egyptian sheets against his cock made him groan in pleasure and anticipation. And that was before Magnus was covering every inch of his back with his tongue and mouth. Soon Alec was a writhing mass of sensitized skin.

"God, so beautiful", Magnus murmured, moving lower still.

Alec spread his legs to make room for him, the anticipation building to fever pitch. When Magnus' teeth bit lightly into one butt cheek, Alec's butt came off the bed at the sharp sensation. Magnus chuckled and immediately soothed the spot with a wet kiss.

His breath coming fast, Alec kept rubbing his cock against the sheets, desperate for the friction. He let out a surprised gasp when his butt cheeks were spread and Magnus' tongue licked between them.

"Magnus," he panted, "that's..."

"Good?"

He nodded frantically, torn between pushing his butt back against Magnus' mouth and shoving his penis against the sheets again."Yeah, good, definitely good."

Magnus chuckled, his breath hot against his lower back. "Told you," he said, sounding quite breathless himself.

And then... All Alec could do was breathe as Magnus' tongue circled around his butthole, kissing it quickly. Before Alec had even recovered, he pushed his tongue inside.

"Fuck," he yelped. It was a good thing he was being held down firmly by Magnus or he might have come off the bed completely. After fucking Alec' s butthole with his tongue until he was writhing with pleasure, the sensation was suddenly gone. He didn't get time to wonder why.

He sucked in a startled, shuddering gasp when he felt something slick against his butt, but Magnus' tongue had done such a good job in making him lost in pleasure there was little resistance when one of his fingers pushed inside. It did feel a bit weird, in a slightly uncomfortable way.

"Good?" Magnus asked again, always checking with Alec before he moved things further.

"Yeah," he gasped, his face pressed into the pillow. "Good." Whatever he'd planned to say next was lost forever when Magnus' finger reached up and...

Oh.

Oh. Oh. Oh.

Pleasure sparked through him and along his skin, making his limbs shake with it.

"Fuck," he gasped, shoving his ass into the touch, "fuck, yes, that's..."

"Good, huh?"

His gasps swallowed by the pillow, he nodded. He felt a moment of loss when Magnus' finger withdrew, but then there were two fingers and fuck, that was even better. Alec's fingers clutched the sheets beneath him, words reduced to whimpers and moans as those talented fingers found his sweet spot again and again. The pleasure almost too much, he rubbed his achingly hard cock against the sheets, needing that friction, desperate for release.

"Aren't you done yet?" he almost snapped in his impatience. "I need you inside..."

With a low, breathless laugh and a kiss to Alec's butt cheek, Magnus withdrew his fingers. Almost at once, Alec rolled onto his back. The absence of Magnus' fingers was almost painful, but he knew it was about to get so much better.

But as he rolled over, the sight before him took his breath away. Sitting on his heels between Alec's raised knees, his cock hard against his stomach, perspiration glistening across the hard planes of his chest, pupils of his cat eyes blown wide, Magnus was a thing of beauty.

Judging from the slack jawed look on Magnus' face, he was thinking the same thing. "God," he breathed, looking at Alec, "you're gorgeous." His hands stroked up Alec's thighs, across his chest, until he was hovering above Alec. He leant down to kiss him, so much more tenderly than Alec would have expected in that moment.

Sinking back onto his heels, Magnus snapped his fingers; a condom appeared between them. "Do you want...?"

Alec wrinkled his nose. "Do we have to?"

"I know I'm clean," Magnus said.

"And I've never done this with anyone else." Alec wiggled his eyebrows hopefully. "So...?"

With a grin Magnus tossed the condom on the floor. He picked up the lube he'd dropped on the mattress beside them.

Sitting up, Alec held out his hand. "Let me."

Magnus squirted lube into his palm; Alec's eyes locked with Magnus', he took his cock in his hand, coating it with lube, jerking him off at the same time. Magnus' eyes closed in bliss, a groan of pleasure torn from him. The weight in his hand, watching Magnus react to his touch like that, it all made Alec even more turned on.

"OK, OK," Magnus gasped after a while, "that's enough or we'll never get around to the main event."

They leaned in as one to share a heated kiss, Alec's hand tangling in Magnus' hair to pull him closer. When they parted, he was breathless, wanting this more than ever. He scooted back onto his back, his heartbeat picking up when Magnus grabbed his butt and angled him. Alec tilted even further by hooking his legs behind Magnus' back. He could feel Magnus' cock nudging his butt; before he pushed in he gave Alec a questioning look, as if he wanted to make sure he was really ready.

Swallowing, his breath catching at the look in Magnus' eyes, Alec nodded. Then he gasped, his head pressed back into the pillow at the weird sensation of being entered. Magnus waited until he was ready before he pushed in further.

The stretch was almost too full at first, but in a good way. In a way that made him feel aware of his body, like his skin belonged to himself again. He breathed through it.

When he caught his breath again, he opened his eyes and lost it all over again. He'd wanted it like this so he could look at Magnus and this was why. Sweat gathering on his brow and upper lip, his face twisted in what looked like sweet agony, he looked stunning. The muscles of his shoulders and arms were bulging under the strain he put on them; mesmerised Alec ran his hands along his rock hard biceps.

"OK?" Magnus asked.

Speechless, Alec nodded. And then, gently at first, Magnus gave a tiny thrust. Enough to get Alec used to the feeling. It still felt weird, but not unpleasantly so. Magnus thrust again, a little deeper this time and yeah, now Alec could feel it, the hot burn that slowly spread all along his skin. He gasped when Magnus thrust in deeper still.

"God, Alexander, you feel so good," Magnus panted.

"Fuck," was Alec's eloquent reply.

When Magnus thrust in again, he hit that spot his fingers had before and fuck, yes, there it was, that same intense burst of pleasure but even better. It felt so good. So good. He moaned every time Magnus rocked into him so gently, finding that sweet spot again and again.

His hand behind Magnus' neck, he pulled him closer, desperate for his lips on his, but they didn't get much further than a messy, uncoordinated kiss before they were just panting into each other's mouths. He was going to come. He didn't want to come. He wanted it to last and last.

"Stele," he gasped.

Magnus froze, staring at him. "What?

Alec wanted to cry at the loss of movement. "My stele," he panted. "It's in my jacket pocket." He made a vague gesture in that direction.

A confused look on his face, Magnus snapped his fingers and the next moment Alec's stele was in his hand. He must have known what Alec had in mind, but he still groaned loudly when Alec ran the stele across his stamina rune and then dropped it on the floor without care.

"Alexander," he breathed, "have pity on a four hundred year old man."

Alec huffed out a snort. "Next time you can lie on your back and I'll ride you until I come." The next moment he was writhing, panting through the pleasure Magnus' magic sent rocketing through his body, until his toes curled with it. "Not fair," he finally managed to gasp out. "No cheating."

"Just leveling the playing field."

An almost evil looking grin on his face, Magnus grasped Alec's butt and showing off his strength again, angled him until he could sink even deeper. Maybe it was retaliation for the stamina rune or maybe Magnus now felt he didn't need to be gentle anymore, but he thrust into Alec so hard he saw stars. Wind knocked out of him, he gasped with pleasure. Digging his nails into Magnus' skin hard enough to draw blood, he held on; all he could do was arch into the touch and try to breathe as burst upon burst of exquisite torture rocked through his body.

Maybe it had been a mistake to activate his stamina rune. It made everything even more intense. Everything felt dragged out and back into pleasure until he really thought he was going to pass out. He needed to come. Soon. Now. As Magnus' thrusts turned faster and more erratic, Alec tightened his legs around him and pulled him even deeper, desperately chasing that release. When it came, it almost took him by surprise. He gasped, struggling for breath, shaking with the intensity of his orgasm.

Magnus, having kept up with him and his stamina rune, hurtled over the edge as well. Alec drank in the look on his face, as, his hips still thrusting, he gasped his release before he collapsed on top of Alec.

Breathing through the aftershocks, it took them both a while to come down. Eventually Alec unlocked his legs from around Magnus and let them fall back to the bed with a soft groan of pain. He felt sore but in a really,  _ really _ , good way. A bit of discomfort when Magnus slipped out, but then Alec sighed and grinned at him.

"Good?" There was a hint of apprehension on Magnus' face; Alec had no idea why.

"Really good," he assured.

Magnus' smile was blinding. He leaned in and as a deep satisfaction seeped into Alec's bones, they kissed lazily. After a snap of his fingers quickly dealt with the mess between them, he lowered himself down onto Alec again, his cheek tucked against his sweaty neck. Alec's arms immediately closed around him.

His eyes were starting to drift closed when he realised that Magnus was humming that melody again, a lullaby sung to him by his mother four hundred years ago. His heart almost broke in half at the thought, but it made Alec feel safe and warm, probably how it had made Magnus feel before all the badness.

His heart soaring, Alec let the sound lull him to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank yous to [baneslair](http://baneslair.tumblr.com) from [shadowhuntersbetas ](http://shadowhuntersbetas.tumblr.com) for the comments and helpful suggestions, and to [thoreallyyes for ](http://thoreallyyes.tumblr.com) for the Spanish translations. And last but not least, a huge thank you to Magnus and Alec for tracking down my muse after she went AWOL for years.
> 
> You can find me on [tumblr.com](http://in-vulnerable-bb.tumblr.com)


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